Chuks Oyema-Aziken
The Ecological Project Office (EPO) has promised fair distribution of projects among communities in the various states.
Permanent Secretary, EPO, Malam Shehu Ibrahim, stated this when he received on separate courtesy visits, Mohammed Ndarani, SAN in company of others and a delegation from Veritas University led by the Vice Chancellor, Prof Hyacinth Ichoku.
The PS said that EPO encourages synergy with the States and Local Governments in the use of their ecological fund allocations to address the ecological challenges bedeviling the country.
He said their requests for intervention have been captured in the Office’s databank which is usually the preliminary intervention procedure and said it is ‘a good step in the right direction and a work in progress’ , stating that appropriate actions will be taken based on their merits.
The Permanent Secretary commended the Vice Chancellor of Veritas University, Abuja, Professor Ichoku and his team for their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) to the Bwari Community with the provision of a Transformer, Borehole, Police Post, and equipping the vigilante group to beef up the security in the community.
He said it was a proactive step not to only assuage the community but to also give them a sense of belonging.
Speaking earlier, Mohammed Ndarani , SAN, commended EPO for prompt response to his letter of requests and appealed for quick intervention to the ravaging ecological challenge in his community of Vinchi and other surrounding communities in Lavun Local Government Area of Niger State. He said the situation was beyond their capacity, hence the passionate appeal to the Federal Government through EPO.
Prof Ichoku on his part also appealed to EPO for quick intervention in the erosion menace around the University and the Bwari community to avoid the degeneration of the situation, stating that the erosion challenge has not only threatened the university complex but also the entire Bwari community. He disclosed that the university had involved in minor remedial works to tackle the situation but that the deep gully erosion threat was beyond its capacity.
The Director, Pollution Control EPO, Mr Clinton Igwe and Director, Soil Erosion and Flood Control, Malam Abubakar Takuma, had also explained that the Office does not have the resources to attend to all the requests from the states and advised that Nigerians should also channel their requests to their state governments for intervention.
Other directors present at the event were, Director, Drought, Desertification and Coastal Zone Management (DDCM), Malam Haruna Bello and Director, Procurement, Malam Abdullahi Mohammed .
