poverty alleviation agency DG Escapes assassination
The Director-General, Adamawa State Poverty Alleviation and Wealth Creation Agency, Dr. Michael Zira, last week, narrowly escaped death from the bullets of suspected gunmen.
Narrating the sad story to Arewa PUNCH on Wednesday in his office, the newly appointed DG said that the attempt to terminate his life occurred around the popular Ribadu Square in the evening.
Dr. Zira narrated, “It was a few minutes after 7:pm. on Friday, and I was there to buy roasted fish for my evening meal since my family is not with me in Yola. I stood beside my HILUX van when the woman preparing the fish told me that the fish was not ready. As I was about to enter the van, I heard a loud sound on my car. When I checked, I saw a bullet that pierced through the body of the vehicle.”
Dr. Zira said he was not disturbed by the incident because he had anticipated such incidents to happen because of the massive reformation he is carrying out in the agency.
“Before that sad event happened, I visited all the 10 skills acquisition training centres, and I discovered 300 fake names on the list of beneficiaries. I removed them all. Some people were saying that they were going to Yola to protest, and I said they should go ahead,” he stated.
The former personal assistant to immediate past Governor Jibrilla Bindow, said that no amount of intimidation can stop him from sanitising the agency for rapid execution of programmes that have direct bearing on women and youths development in the state.
Continuing in his giant strides, the undeterred DG on Thursday disclosed that 200 women from each of the 21 local government areas amounting to 4, 200 were empowered with various sums of money ranging from ₦50,000 and above alongside starter packs to begin their businesses.
The DG who commended Governor Ahmadu Fintiri for his giant strides on infrastructural development pointed out that women and youths development is another area the governor has focused his attention.
Thus, he urged women and youths to present themselves for the scheme, noting that government jobs can not pay them like their personal businesses.
Speaking further, Zira disclosed that he is designing a programme for government workers that are approaching five years to their retirement.
“We are designing a programme for state government retirees to avoid seeing them retire to death. we want them to retire and be alive. Some died waiting for pension because there is nothing that is bringing income for them,” he said.
The DG assured that any civil servant whk is five years from retirement will be engaged in the training of their choice business and after their exit from service soft loans will be given to them to start their businesses, adding that the loan will be recovered from their pension money.