UNICEF, in partnership with the Taraba State Government, on Friday awarded contracts for the rehabilitation of 11 Primary Health Care (PHC) centres across six local government areas (LGAs) of the state, with funding support from the Global Fund.
Speaking at the event in Jalingo, the Chief of UNICEF’s Bauchi Field Office, Dr Nuzhat Rafique, urged the contractors to execute the projects with honesty, dedication and professionalism.
Rafique said the official handover of the selected PHC facilities by the Taraba State Government to UNICEF, through the Commissioner for Health, Dr Bondiya Buma, marked a significant collaboration aimed at saving the lives of mothers and children.
She charged the chairmen of the benefiting local councils to take ownership of the projects by ensuring quality delivery and timely completion to improve maternal and child health outcomes.
“This is more than just construction work; it is about saving the lives of mothers and children, and all of us must take it seriously,” she said.
Rafique stressed that the contractors must justify the confidence reposed in them by delivering quality projects that would have a meaningful impact on women and children in the benefiting communities and across the state.
She listed the benefiting LGAs as Ardo-Kola, Bali, Gassol, Karim-Lamido, Sardauna and Zing.
In his remarks, the Commissioner for Health thanked the Global Fund for its support to Taraba State and commended UNICEF for ensuring transparency in the contractor selection process.
He reaffirmed the state government’s commitment to providing an enabling environment for contractors to complete the projects within the stipulated timeframe.
Buma also appealed to facility managers to cooperate fully with the contractors to ensure timely completion, noting that communities across the state would benefit greatly from the intervention.
Also speaking, the Executive Secretary of the Taraba State Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr Nuhu Tukura, lauded UNICEF and the Global Fund for their sustained support to the state’s health sector.
Tukura urged the media to continue giving adequate coverage to the state government’s programmes, particularly in the health sector.
The project, being implemented by UNICEF with funding from the Global Fund, is expected to be completed by March 2026.
