By Khalid Doya Idris
The Bauchi State Government has taken a significant step towards developing a new city along Ningi Road, seeking inputs from critical stakeholders to ensure the project's success. The initiative, dubbed the Bauchi New Town Project, aims to create a modern and sustainable urban centre that will improve the lives of citizens and drive economic growth.
During a public presentation and hearing on the concept plans for the project, Commissioner for Lands and Survey, TPL Abdullahi Mohammed, emphasized the need for constructive contributions from all stakeholders. "We believe each and every one of us here can contribute constructively, so I want to present the prototype of the Bauchi new city situated along Ningi Road," he said. The new town will span approximately 1,200 hectares of land, with consultants having completed surveying, planning, engineering drawings, and electricals.
TPL Abdullahi Mohammed highlighted the importance of a bottom-up approach, stating, "It's no more a question of top to bottom, it is about bottom to top. And this is what we are asked to do, as I look forward to very constructive contributions from all of you." He expressed confidence that the stakeholders can work together to put up a final draft for presentation to the state government.
The General Manager of the Bauchi State Physical Planning and Development Control Board, TPI Ibrahim Muhammad, stressed the need to engage with the people and explain the mission of the new vision. As a Town Planning Inspector, he emphasized that the project's success depends on improving the lives of citizens, focusing on education, health, security, economic issues, and environmental quality.
TPI Ibrahim Muhammad also highlighted the importance of considering the influx of people into Bauchi due to communal clashes in neighboring states and communities. "The successful implementation of the vision requires unbundling of the state resources in terms of agriculture, mineral resources, and other things, how to accommodate the anticipatory response of the nation and world at large for which the state government looks for direct investment," he said.
The Bauchi New Town Project is part of Governor Bala Mohammed's vision for the state's development, aiming to create a better future for its citizens. With the commissioner's pledge to work tirelessly for the state's development, the government is poised to make significant strides in improving the lives of Bauchi residents.