- The Kogi state government has taken a bold step to address the issues of erosion ravaging the state
- The government has partnered with the Nigeria Erosion and Watershed Management Project to address the issues
- The move is towards ensuring a lasting solution to concerns of environmental degradation in the affected areas
The Kogi state government along side the Nigeria Erosion and Watershed Management Project (NEWMAP) on Monday June 17, signed multi-billion naira contracts for the stabilisation, reclamation and channeling of Adumu and Agassa erosion sites in Olamaboro and Okene local government areas of the state respectively.
Legit.ng gathered that the move is towards ensuring a lasting solution to concerns of environmental degradation in those areas.
The agreement was signed by Governor Yahaya Bello, NEWMAP representatives, alongside the contractors to execute the projects at the Governor's office, Lokoja.
Governor Bello noted that his government cared for the people of the state by ensuring that the environment where they lived in was safe and conducive for them to thrive.
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He emphasised that Kogi state under his watch has a culture of proper care for the environment based on the fact that such action determines how the environment reacts to human activities.
The governor thanked the World Bank who he revealed have provided huge financial support towards ensuring that that issues of environmental degradation in the state and other parts of the country was reduced to the barest minimum while he urged them to do more.
He also lauded the federal government through its federal ministry of environment for ensuring that concerns on environment were taken with utmost seriousness.
The governor urged the contractors to mobilise to the site on time and deliver within the 15 months time frame provided for in the details of the contracts
The project coordinator NEWMAP, Barrister Ladi Ahmed Jatto, in her opening remarks asserted that the governor has shown so much concern towards solving environment issues and despite allocation dwindling of the state, he released 900,000 million counterpart fund to facilitate and fast track the engineering designs
She stated that after a rigorous and meticulous bidding process two firms namely NIGERPET Structures Limited and NAEL and BIN HARMAL NBHH/HARTLAND were awarded the contracts.
The project coordinator further noted that based on the governor’s directives, NEWMAP in recent times awarded the contract for the engineering design of eight erosion sites which were: Ugwolawo Erosion site and Ogane Aji erosion site.
Others were Ankpa gully erosion Site, Etahi gully site, Ozuri gully site, Omigbo river channelization, Greater Lokoja water scheme, Afor Gam- Gam site and the permanent site of the Federal University, Felele all spread across the three senatorial district of the state.
She pointed out that the contractor had submitted the draft design for the greater Lokoja water work, which has been sent to federal control office in Abuja for review.
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Meanwhile, the Kogi State College of Health Sciences and Technology, Idah, has secured full accreditation of four out of its five programmes for the first time since its establishment 43 years ago in 1976.
A statement by the college provost, Dr Nuhu Solomon Anyegwu, on Friday, May 31, said the college received the letter for the full accreditation from the Registrar, Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria (MLSCN) on Thursday, May 30, informing them that four of the five departments in the college had been fully accredited.
According to Anyegwu, the full accredited programmes includes: Health Information Management Department (5 years), Community Health Department (4 years), Medical Laboratory Department (5 years).
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Source: Legit
