The Speaker, Benue state House of Assembly, Mr. Titus Uba has commended the Community and Social Development Agency (CSDA), for implementing numerous projects in various communities across the state.
Mr. Uba who made the commendation while interacting with the Head, Monitoring and Information Management, Federal Projects Support Unit of CSDA in Nigeria, Mr Adeniyi Oduneye at his Makurdi residence said, the Agency has completed over 40 rural projects and many others are being done in Vandeikya Local Government Area of Benue state where he hails from.
The speaker who expressed joy over the development explained that the communities were required to pay little counterpart funds for the projects to be implemented for them.
He further stated that the CSDP,
is all inclusive as it allows the communities to choose what they want and they participate in its implementation and maintenance.
“This makes them to value the projects as their own because of their involvement.
“Governor Ortom has provided a very good environment for CSDP to thrive in Benue because we are not bouyant as a state. So, if the CSDP brings funds and is looking for rural areas to develop, Gov. Ortom has opened his hands to accept them to come into the state by providing those small small funds they require to take off in the rural areas. If there is a follow up programme, we will do our best to make sure that they come back to our state”, the Speaker said.
He assured that if there is need to back up the project with Legislation, they will not hesitate to do that just as they did when CSDP came. “So whatever form or name in which the project comes they will give it a legislative backing to be able to thrive because it is very beneficial to them.”
READ ALSO: Speaker Uba Calls For Synergy Between Executive, Legislator For Devt. Of Benue
Uba also disclosed that the Benue state government was partnering the Rural Access and Mobility Project (RAAMP) and the Federal Rural Development Department to open up rural roads in the state.
Meanwhile, the Head of Federal Project Support of the CSDA, Mr Oduneye who told newsmen that they were on a documentary assignment, said the CSDA project has been on ground since 2009 and has made great impact in Nigeria.
He said within the period under review, they had intervened in over 500 Local Government Areas and 4,300 communities in the country.
He also said that although the project will come to an end on September 30, 2020, an abridged programme known as “Cares” will come up to cushion the effect of COVID-19 pandemic and the structures of CSDP will be used to implement it.
According to him, the project will include food safety components and the Small and Medium Scale Enterprises components to make it an all encompassing economic terminus intervention.
He stressed that the states will have $20,000 USD which will be given to them by the Central Bank of Nigeria based on their performance in terms of physical projects on ground because according to him, “it is not business as usual”.
Mr Oduneye okayed the level of projects he saw in Benue state and rated it as being commensurate with the amount of money given to the state by the Federal Government.
He also commended the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) for proper care, treatment and supervision while the speaker and his last son were under isolation.
