By Ibrahim Mohammed
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations in collaboration with Nigeria Agip Oil Company Limited have donated water projects to four rural communities in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja with a view to improving food and nutrition security.
The benefiting communities are Wassa 2, Sherreti, Karimajiji and Malaysia Garden all located in the Abuja Municipal Area Council of the territory.
Speaking at the commissioning and handing-over ceremony at Sherreti community, on Thursday, FCT Minister of State, Dr, Ramatu Tijjani Aliyu, noted that the FAO has contributed to international efforts to defeat hunger and improve local economies by helping its member countries improve agriculture, forestry, and fisheries practices.
The minister who was represented by her Senior Special Assistant in charge of Administration, Prof. Muhammad Usman, pointed out that the completion of the water projects in these communities will no doubt help to improve food security, hygiene and sanitation, for an estimated 4,000 persons, both among the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and the host communities.
According to her “among other things, the beneficiaries are expected to use the water to irrigate small vegetable gardens to enhance their nutrition, their incomes, and their livelihoods generally.
“The boreholes are also solar-powered and equipped with plugs that residents can use to charge their cell phones. More importantly, they are well lit at night and therefore safe to access at all times while also being aggregation points within the communities.”
The minister therefore appealed to members of the benefiting communities to guard the facilities against vandals.
She then used the occasion to express the FCT Administration’s appreciation to development partners for contributing to the improvement and development of water schemes in the Federal Capital Territory, stressing that these are no small contributions to government’s efforts at addressing developmental challenges, especially President Muhammadu Buhari’s focused push to lift 100 million Nigerians out of poverty in a decade.
“We are on the verge of finalising a Strategic Implementation Plan for achieving the Federal Government of Nigeria’s 2019 – 2023 Deliverables for the FCT and shall be calling on you soon to join hands with us to raise the tempo of development, especially in the social services sector, as we commence plan implementation,” she stated.
In his remarks, the Food and Agriculture Organization, representative in Nigeria Mr. Suffyan Koroma, noted that the use of water for domestic and agriculture needs is one sure way to reach the zero-hunger goal, as food and nutrition security is enhanced.
Koroma, expressed the hope that the four projects will mitigate the water challenges of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDs), and the host communities, noting that the organisation has continued to provide support to development initiatives and strategies aimed at reducing poverty, improving food and nutrition as well as the efficient management of the country’s natural resources.
For his part, the Managing Director of Nigerian Agip Exploration Limited, Mr. Lorenzo Fiorillo, said the company has a long history of cooperation and friendship with the Nigerian people, adding that these initiatives are in agreement with the company’s social investment and corporate social responsibility agenda targeted at providing support for Nigeria and her citizens.
