Nasarawa-based non-Governmental organization (NGO), Source of Hope Foundation, has disclosed that the state had been selected to benefit from the World Bank Nigeria Erosion and Watershed Management Project (NEWMAP) to address erosion issues in their communities.
The world bank funded intervention project, which commenced in 2011, with focus on the Eastern part of the country had been expanded to cover some Northern States, including Nasarawa, that were badly affected by gully erosion in both rural and urban communities.
According to her, the project aimed at correcting gully erosion borne from over crowded populations and human activities, such as mining, was expected to cover 18 sites in five selected local government areas in the state namely: Doma, Toto, Nasarawa, Lafia and Keffi.
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Mrs Asibi -Omeri Ogabo, the Founder of the Source of Hope Foundation and Focal NGO for Nasarawa state on the project, disclosed this during at a review meeting on the project in Lafia, on Tuesday.
“If you go to places like Angwan Liman, Angwan Lukman in Lafia here, then Keffi, behind the Emir’s place, Nasarawa local government, among others, the situation over there is very bad. “
I am confident that the NEWMAP will do a lot about it because already, they have everything set on ground ready to mobilise their people to the sites for the project to take off,” she added.
Mrs Ogabo called on the general public to pay more attention to the proper care of their environments, as well as avoiding dumping of refuse on water ways.
Speaking earlier, Jonathan Kwaghkha Ortoho, NEWMAP project coordinator in the state, said the expansion of the project covered Nasarawa, alongside few other Northern states.
He explained that the Source of Hope Foundation, being the focal NGO in Nasarawa state, was engaged to carry out advocacy and sensitisation to the affected Communities in the state, to enable residents give maximum cooperation during the implementation of the project.
The coordinator, who was represented at the meeting by the project internal editor, Mr Jerry Idasho, lamented the effects of erosion, saying that a visit to the sites had revealed a worrisome situation experienced by most communities due to erosion.(NAN)
