Benue State Governor, Hyacinth Alia
By TYAV SAM TYAV, Makurdi –
Benue State Governor, Hyacinth Alia has assured that the State Government would establish a school at the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) mega camp along Makurrdi – Gbajimba road, Guma Local Government Area of the state.
Speaking on Saturday during the extension of free medical outreach to the camp conducted by Ucare Nigeria with funding from ECOWAS Peace Fund, the Benue State Emergency Management Agency (BSEMA) Executive Secretary, Sir James Iorpuu, lamented the sufferings the children at the mega camp were going through.
The BSEMA boss, who was represented at the camp by Mr. Mark Terver informed that they were worried by the growing population of school age children in the camp and stressed the need for adequate measures to be out in place for the leaders of tomorrow.
According to him they had tried to organize classes for the school age children and more than four hundred children turned up for all the classes revealing further that they had to get volunteers from the camp to teach them.
The BSEMA boss noted with enthusiasm that the school was expected to start as the next academic session begins in September.
According to him the Governor had already assured that the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) would engage the volunteers to teach at the camp.
He disclosed how some Nongovernmental organizations had intervened in the provision of some classes that could accommodate about 24 in a class even as others provided computers for the training of the children.
The Executive Secretary appreciated Ucare Nigeria for the intervention in the health needs of the people through the provision of mosquito nets, adolescent girl child kits as well as mama kits and also appreciated ECOWAS Peace Fund for providing funds for the free medical outreach, state of the art toilet facilities, bore hole and solar panels for the provision of light among other things.
Mr. Uche Aondofa Paul, the Communication Officer of Ucare Nigeria in his remarks expressed satisfaction with what the organisation has done for the three camps by giving succour to the vulnerable to cushion the effect from their sufferings.
In their separate comments, Mrs. Mwuese Asan, an IDP and Miss Salome Barnabas also an IDP, appreciated Ucare Nigeria for the provision of facilities for their use.
Mrs. Asan particularly expressed joy as she had gone for medical attention as an expectant mother but could not afford the drugs they asked her to buy only for Ucare Nigeria to provide the drugs for her free of charge.
