Coordinator: ACReSAL Executed Projects Worth N110m in Nasarawa Communities

IgbawaseUkumba in Lafia

The Agro-Allied Climate Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscape (ACReSAL) has  drilled 17 solar-powered boreholes and installed 118 street lights worth N110 million in some Nasarawa State communities.

The projects are located across 11 electoral wards of Akwanga, as well as some communities in Karu and Nasarawa Local Government Areas of the state in the first phase of the ACReSAL interventions.

This was disclosed yesterday by the Nasarawa State Project Coordinator of ACReSAL, Dr. Napoleon Elias Gyobe, when officials on assessment tour of the projects arrived in the state for two days assessment visit.

ACReSAL is a six-year World Bank assisted project, which aims to address the challenges of land degradation and other events linked to climate change in Northern Nigeria on a multi-dimensional scale commenced in 2022.

Gyobe added that the communities within Akwanga Local Government Area in Nasarawa State were significantly underserved, facing a range of socio-economic challenges.

The lack of basic social amenities such as clean water, electricity, and infrastructure was compounded by the absence of government intervention, he said, adding that many residents suffered from waterborne diseases due to scarcity of clean water.

Gyobe said: “They were forced to trek long distances to collect water from contaminated streams, which were often shared with cattle and livestock coupled with the harsh realities of scarce resource escalated tensions between herders and farmers, who frequently clashed over access to water and grazing land.”

He also added that the need for intervention was urgent, and the ACReSAL project was well-positioned to bring relief to these rural communities, aiming to improve access to essential services and foster peace and economic development.

Gyobe further disclosed that N110 million has been spent on the project.

The federal project management unit led by Mrs. MbalamenYuwa and Christina Omosebi was taken round to some selected benefiting communities not only to see things for themselves, but to also get direct feedback on the impact so far in those communities

The assessment team urged benefitting communities to take ownership of such facilities, saying more interventions will be carried out in phases to make life more meaningful at the hinterlands.

Representatives of various benefitting communities visited including the ChemNku, Ambassador HabilaAdamuAboki, represented by Njinah of Nku, Chief, Ibrahim Danjuma, express delight over the solar-powered borehole which he said is providing opportunities for residents.

He said: “You can see that our children and women no longer have to trek two to three kilometres to fetch water because ACReSAL has provided us a solar-powered borehole with a 12 thousand litres tank, and you can see that many cassava processing factories have sprung up in the community.”

Also, women and youth leaders among others, who shared their testimonies on the positive impact so far, thanked ACReSAL and the state government for changing their stories for good.

They promised to make good use of the boreholes and street lights for their betterment, however, the appealed that such gesture should be extended to others.

Responding, Mrs.Yuwa said they were in the state to look at the projects and how it was impacting on the people.