By Isaac Kertyo, Makurdi
A non governmental organization, Self Help Africa, has earmarked the sum of $85 million as intervention funds for Gwer West Local Government Area of Benue State as part of its efforts to cushion the hardship being experienced by local governments affected by herdsmen attacks.
The Acting General Manager, Benue Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency, BERWASA, Mr Tony Mkpen, who disclosed this in an exclusive interview with Day Break in Makurdi, explained that the funds are meant for intervention in the fragile communities in Gwer West Local Government Area to ameliorate their sufferings.
Mr Mkpen, stressed that plans are underway by the agency to scale it up to other Local Government Areas of the state whose ancestral homes were destroyed by the Herders. ” If we have funds we can scale it up to other Local Government Areas ,” he assured.
In a related development, the Acting General Manager, hinted that UNICEF, has given the sum of N350m (Three Hundred and fifty Million Naira) to the state government as its counterpart funds to tackle Open Defecation in the rural areas.
Mr Mkpen, pointed out that UNICEF has shifted attention from drilling of boreholes to sanitation (building of toilet facilities) to eliminate Opening Defecation in the Local Governments.
He assured that the Governor of Benue State, Rev Fr Hyacinth Alia, is willing to approve state counterpart funds for the projects to enable the organization release its counterpart funds for execution of the projects that have direct bearing on People’s lives.
