From Femi Oyelola, Kaduna
It was a joyous moment for hundreds of Students, teachers of Government Girls Secondary School (GGSS), Kawo, and residents of the ancient Zaria City as Kaduna State Governor, Senator Uba Sani on Friday commissioned blocks of the 400-bed hostel at the School and the office complex of Zaria Metropolitan Authority (ZMA).
Recall that the School Hostel was gutted by fire in 2020, displacing the boarding students of the school.
However, the state government, reconstructed the hostel and built additional blocks of classrooms commissioned on Friday.
Also, the Commissioning of Zaria Metropolitan Authority Complex, the authority like its Kaduna and Kafanchan counterparts was designed based on the Abuja model, to serve as city managers carrying out statutory roles of the local governments like road construction, waste management, and business environment regulation.
Speaking at the Commissioning, Sani said the completion of the hostel block project was a fulfillment of the promises made by the State Government and a demonstration of the importance it attaches to the excellence of girl education in the state.
According to him: “I am delighted to personally open the Zaria Metropolitan Authority office. We set up the three metropolitan authorities in 2021 in Zaria, Kaduna, and Kafanchan designed based on the Abuja model and they would function as integrated entities.
“They are not here to replace the local governments or to control them, they are simply city managers to carry out statutory roles of the local governments. It covers four local government areas Zaria, Sabongari, part of Giwa, and Soba.
“The Authority since inception has performed its role creditably well in the area of Road construction and maintenance, solid waste management and supply and installation of solar street lights and regulation of the business environment.
“Let me reiterate the commitment of our administration towards rapid development of Kaduna State. We will not relent in our efforts to revamp infrastructure, build human capacity, and promote the economic growth of the state.
“This edifice we are commissioning today is just a physical structure, but a symbol of the collective efforts of our administration, the Zaria Metropolitan Authority, and the People of Kaduna State.”
Earlier, the Administrator, Zaria Metropolitan Authority, Hajiya Balaraba Aliyu-Inuwa “the foundation of this complex, the Brian Sherwood Smith House, was laid on April 1, 1939 as a provincial office to house Zaria Province office with 10 administrators before me. The Zaria Metropolitan Authority was created to cope with the population explosion, which is usually in developing areas.
She said: “Since inception, we have completed five numbers of connected roads within Zaria and Soba, two roads with solar street lights.
“We have mapped and digitized the entire metropolitan in conjunction with KADGIS Kasupda and other agencies, security of people clearing, and waste evacuation with waste management contractors.”
On her part, the Principal GGSS Senior Section, Kawo, Kaduna, Mrs. Victoria Hassan expressed excitement at the commissioning of the facilities in the school by Governor Uba Sani.
She noted that the school hostels were burnt in a fire incident in 2020, but the new facilities, students would now enjoy conducive learning environment.
“Following the fire incident, we were relocated to Rimi College here in Kaduna, while the State government gave the contract for the renovation of our school to Agile Projects Company, Kaduna.
“They have built the hostels, and in each hostel, we have 400 capacity of students. New toilets of 35 numbers were added to the old ones. A block of six classrooms and a block of four classrooms were being constructed and renovated under old blocks.
“The Administration blocks of the senior section were also renovated. The Administration blocks of the junior section were also renovated. So we are praying to God to give us the grace and the spirit to utilize the structures and the materials we have here now,” she said.
