By Isaac Kertyo, Makurdi
The General Manager, Benue Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (BERWASSA), Mr Anthony Mkpen has assured that the agency under his watch is stepping up efforts to ensure that the state is Open Defecation Free (ODF) before the 2030 national target.
Mr Mkpen who gave the assurance in an exclusive interview with our Correspondentin Makurdi, the Benue State capital, hinted that the agency in partnership with UNICEF and other international organizations has made significant impact through promotion of hygiene and sanitation in public places with the aim to improve the health standards of Benue citizens.
“We have recently made Ushongo and Vandeikya Local Government Areas Open Defecation Free, which brought the number of Local Governments that are ODF to 13, thus positioning the state first in the North Central Nigeria and third in the whole country on the ODF map. If things fall in place as one expect, before 2030 which is the national target, Benue would have been state wide open defecation free.
“The remaining ten local government areas as we speak, the process of selecting two is ongoing. UNICEF has taken two, the national Program’s coordinator called that in the first or second week of May, they will be in the state. A team of consultants from African Development Bank under the Federal Ministry of Water Resources also came with the aim to intervene in water sanitation and hygiene”, he posited.
According to the General Manager, BERWASSA, was given a special award during last year’s summit over its impressive performance, having led the North Central Nigeria in the WASS campaign, pointing out that the program provided them access to the rural people to provide water and sanitation facilities.
Mr Mkpen stressed that one of the agency’s milestones included; the approval of the state government for the upgrading of the water and sanitation and hygiene from units to departments in all the local governments across the state. He pointed out that the Permanent Secretary, Bureau of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, assured him that the composition of the departments would be completed very soon.
The General Manager, applauded the Benue State Governor, Rev Fr Hyacinth Iormem Alia, for graciously approving and releasing the sum of Seven Hundred Million Naira counterpart funding, maintaining that with the support from the state government, the agency will do more in its service delivery to the people. He further assured that the agency would maintain the tempo of development for the benefit of Benue citizens.
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