Governor Dauda Lawal has provided 50 new buses to the Zamfara State Chapter of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW).
The buses were officially handed over to recipients on Wednesday at the Government House in Gusau.
A statement by the governor’s spokesperson, Sulaiman Bala Idris, disclosed that the Zamfara State Government provided the 50 buses to the NURTW as a loan under the Zamfara State Loan Scheme.
The statement added that part of the critical assets distributed includes five fire trucks procured to support effective firefighting.
In his remarks, Governor Lawal reiterated that the loan scheme is part of his administration’s efforts to improve the public transportation system, promote economic empowerment, and enhance the safety and efficiency of transportation for our people.
He said, “The buses would be distributed to the NURTW on loan, under the Zamfara State Loan Scheme. The Union has agreed to participate in the identification, supervision, and repayment of its members’ vehicles.
“Under this scheme, the vehicles were procured at the cost of N27,390,000.00 only. However, the Government will provide a 20% subsidy on the total cost of each vehicle.
“This represents the sum of N5,478,000.00 per vehicle. Therefore, each beneficiary will pay N21,912,000.00 per vehicle within 44 months of vehicle allocation.
“We are also commissioning 5 units of fire trucks procured for an effective firefighting mechanism.
“We are aware that fire outbreaks can destroy homes, shops, and livelihoods in seconds. These new fire trucks, equipped with modern standards, will strengthen the state fire service’s capacity to respond faster across all nooks and crannies of the State.
“I, therefore, charge the Fire Service to complement these efforts by ensuring adequate training of its personnel, conducting public fire-safety sensitisations, and always keeping the equipment in serviceable condition.”
The Governor further emphasised that the assets distributed belong to the people of Zamfara State.
“I direct all MDAs and beneficiaries to submit quarterly maintenance and utilisation reports to their respective reporting Offices. I want to emphasise that vandalism, misuse, or diversion will not be tolerated.”
