FOOD and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations in collaboration with the Nigeria Agip Oil Company Limited, on Thursday, donated water projects to four Federal Capital Territory (FCT) rural communities geared towards the improvement of food and nutrition security.
The benefiting communities were Wassa 2, Sherreti, as well as Karimajiji and Malaysia Garden, all located in the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) of the territory.
Speaking at the commissioning and handing-over ceremony at Sherreti community, the FCT Minister of State, Dr Ramatu Tijjani Aliyu, noted that FAO, an agency of the United Nations 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 at the occasion by her Senior Special Assistant in charge of Administration, Professor Muhammad Usman, noted that the completion of the water projects in those communities would 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.
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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 jealously guard the facilities against vandals and ensure that they own the projects.
In his remarks, the Nigeria representative of the organisation, Mr Suffyan Koroma, noted that the use of water for domestic and agriculture needs of households is one sure way to reach the zero hunger goal, as food and nutrition security is enhanced.
Mr Koroma expressed the hope that the project would mitigate the water challenges of the IDPs 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.
Earlier, 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 the initiatives were in agreement with the company’s social investment and corporate social responsibility agenda targeted at providing support for Nigeria and her citizens.
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