Benue Rural Development Initiative (BENGONET) has sought for extended partnership with Benue State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) in the area of capacity building for its members.
BENGONET is a Coalition of Civil Society/Non-Governmental Organisations, (NGOs) founded in Benue State, with the aim to advocate for more development in Nigeria through policy influencing, monitoring of government programmes and activities for the benefit of the people.
The newly inaugurated Chairman of the Coalition, Mrs. Shimenege Kyaagba, expressed this intention when she led other members of the Network Administrative Team (NAT) of BENGONET on a courtesy to the Executive Secretary of SEMA, Dr. Emmanuel Shior.
Mrs. Kyaagba noted that “BENGONET has been partnering and collaborating with SEMA in implementation of humanitarian services, Water Sanitation and Hygeine, (WASH) promotion activities in Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps over the years.”
He stated that the organization will continue to offer their help in support of the agency saying to maintain such partnership would contribute immensely to closing the gaps on issues affecting IDPs.
She commended Mr. Shior for the tremendous successes recorded by the agency under his watch as Executive Secretary saying BENGONET was pleased and would desire to move the partnership further.
According to her, she had visited the SEMA boss to officially introduce her new team and inform him of the closure, in December 2020, of the WASH promotion project, which was implemented by BENGONET in nine IDPs through UNICEF”.
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She said the network was “established to advocate and partnerg with individuals, government, international and local organisations for the development of Benue State.”
She also hinted that the network has a mission to coordinate and strengthen the capacities of member organisations and communities at large through training, information sharing and networking with others to improve the quality of life and the total well-being of the people of Benue State and Nigeria in general.
Responding, the Executive Secretary of SEMA, Mr. Emmanuel Shior, expressed pleasure to have partnered with the network on a number of projects acknowledging that they impacted positively on the lives of people of concern.
He also assured BENGONET that SEMA was willing to foster further synergy with the network on humanitarian work so as to respond effectively to the needs of the over 500,000 IDPs at the camps across the state.
Shior who commended BENGONET for being instrumental to setting up of the camp in Kwande which is presently housing over 10,000 Camerounian refugees urged the network not to waver in its support of government just as he solicited their support in the successful relocation of IDPs from Daudu Camp II to Ikpan.
