WOMEN AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT These activities were either supervised or coordinated by the ministry of women affairs and social development. As a first step towards achieving its human development objectives the state government gave welfare of the staff the priority it deserves by promoting senior and junior staff to various grades, regular medical claims were made while proper schedules were aligned with full participation at all levels. The equipments of the ministry were also rehabilitated to ensure efficiency. The state government created a new to undertake programs relating to survival and development of children. It is charged with the responsibility of looking after the social homes. The state government spent over four million for the renovation of offices at the headquarters, Fagge, Gyadi-Gyadi, kitchen and hostel at Remand Home, water reticulation at the Torrey Home and hostels of Nassarawa Children’s home. Kano State under Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau did not restrict itself to the workers welfare only hence during the month of Ramadan it provided meals to the needy at the cost of fifty four million naira (N54,000,000) and also directed local government councils to do the same. The Ramadan of 1424 was the first time the government made such an experiment and it is hoped that the experience gained would be used to improve future service delivery. Many needy people who could not shoulder their medical bills have also been assisted. Such humanitarian gesture was equally extended internally displaces persons in other states in the spirit of Nigerian brotherhood. The Shekarau Government is concerned about the raising tide of school dropouts. Without any vocational skills, this growing army of jobless youths will constitute a serious social threat. It is in realization of this potential danger that the visionary Government of Shekarau decided to equip them and sundry unemployed youths with vocational skills so as to be self reliant. The Government therefore, re-awarded the contract for completion of the Sani Abacha Vocational Training Centre at the cost of N11,006,097.85. The Government had earlier paid an outstanding claim of N2.8 million to the contractor.