The Fadama III AFII project has distributed food and livelihood package to 40 parents that are affected by the Dapchi schoolgirls’ abduction at the Government Girls Science and Technical College, Dapchi in Yobe state.
The state coordinator of the programme, Musa Alhaji Garba, stated this in Dapchi, during the flag-off of distribution of food assistance and livelihood package to 2,000 internally displaced beneficiaries across the state.
He said the gesture was a state government effort through the Fadama III AFII programme to sympathize and touch the lives of victims of Boko Haram insurgency, especially Mrs Rebecca Sharibu, whose daughter Leah is still in Boko Haram captivity.
“We join the community in prayers for the safe return of Leah Sharibu and for God to avert the future occurrence,” he said.
He noted that the intervention of the 2,000 households was possible due to savings made from draw downs of the first phase where 5,320 households benefitted.
He said Dapchi, Damaya, Dumburi, Masaba, and Ajiri communities in Bursari local government council had enjoyed irrigation and rain-fed agricultural inputs supports, livestock husbandry, drainages, water facilities and youth employment under the first phase of the intervention.
He, however, said that in the three additional communities of Dapchi, Jido-Damaya, and Turbutu-Zurgwaya of Bursari local council, each of the benefiting households get a bag of rice, maize flour, beans, cooking oil, sugar, seasoning cubes.
He appealed to the state government to pay the 2018 counterpart funds to enable the project access more support from the World Bank that would continue to benefit communities that are in dare need across the state.
The state commissioner of Agriculture, Engr Mustapha Gajerima, said the joy of the event was truncated by the continuous captivity of Leah Sharibu.
“We pray Allah to touch the heart of her captors so that she can return to us and join her beloved family and community,” he said.
He lauded the project for prudent use of resources in implementing it initial 133 Community Action Plan (CAP) programme to accommodate additional 50 CAPs which was being distributed to the 2,000 benefiting households.
Mrs. Rebecca Sharibu, who was represented by her sister, Madam Grace, thanked the Fadama III AFII for the intervention, saying it the first of its kind.
“Prayer is the only way to secure the release of our daughter Leah; we want government and the community to continue praying because one day God will answer our prayers” she said.
The chairman of the local government, Alhaji Zannah Abatcha Dapchi, appreciated the commitment of the programme for bringing succour to his people.
“These are life support items to the people that are in need. We hope that more of such supports would be provided for our people”, he said.
He called on the beneficiaries to use the items donated to them judiciously for optimum benefits.
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