FLOODING: Sokoto Government Waiting On World Bank For Commencement Of NEWMAP

By Muhammad Goronyo,Sokoto
… Paid N1.5 Bn Counterpart Fund 3 Years Ago
In order to mitigate the disaster of perennial flooding, particularly in some areas within metropolitan Sokoto, the state governor, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal has again reiterated the commitment of his administration to checking the problem.
According to the Governor, his administration has paid its counterpart funding of N1.5 billion to the World Bank assisted Nigeria Erosion and Watershed Management Project (NEWMAP).
The NEWMAP project is aimed at addressing the Nigerian gully erosion crisis in Southeastern Nigeria and land degradation in Northern Nigeria on a multi-dimensional scale.
Gov. Tambuwal who was responding to persistent criticism that his administration has done nothing to checkmate the menace of flooding in Mabera quarters and other places within Sokoto metropolis again directed, Friday, at Wurno town, while on condolence visit to Wurno local government area  that the critics should check out the veracity of his claim with the World Bank.
The spurious claim that the Tambuwal administration was not proactive in tackling the intra-city flood menace exemplified by the Mabera case was brought up at the beginning of this month by a participant at the BBC Hausa accountability program in Abuja Sept. 5.
In response to the participant’s question, the governor had urged the people of the state to exercise patience over the matter as the state government has  paid its counterpart funding to the World Bank three years ago and was only waiting for it to conclude its arrangements for the actualization of the projects.
The projects to be executed the governor enumerated include those of the total rehabilitation of Lugu Dam in Wurno local government area, the Mabera culverts and drainages project and the construction of a dam at Tureta local government area.
The governor said he has directed the state Commissioner for Environment to liaise with the World Bank over the issue with a view to fast tracking the delivery of the projects.
Meanwhile, Gov. Tambuwal had condoled people of Wurno local government area over the loss of  two people who died as a result of a recent boat mishap from which three people are still missing while 14 survived.
Similarly the governor also commiserated with the people of the area over the flood disaster which damaged many farmlands, livestocks and infrastructure in the area.
Promising that the state government would soon send relief materials to the victims, Governor Tambuwal prayed Allah to grant the deceased eternal rest.
He assured the people of the area of state government’s determination to assist irrigation farmers with a special package so as to provide them with succour to alleviate the sufferings occasioned by the flood.