Kasim Sumaina in Abuja
In line with its intervention in the Boko Haram troubled north-eastern part of the country, Victims Support Fund (VSF) has disclosed that it will spend N1.2 billion to reconstruct the damaged Government Secondary School, Takum in Taraba State.
It said the project would be completed in the next six months, adding that it will be one of the biggest to be handled by the fund.
The Executive Director, Dr. Sunday Ochoche announced this while signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the representatives of Development Africa (DA) and the Taraba State Government in Abuja.
He disclosed that the school is such a strategic school that has served the educational needs of not just Taraba but a number of neighbouring states, including Benue and even children from across the international boundary of Cameroon.
“This school was destroyed during one of the crises in Taraba State. The Victims Support Fund was approached and we took a look at it and decided to assist. We are trying to put in place a better facility than what was in place. This project will cost about N1.2 billion and should be completed in not less than six months.
“The project was also in line with VSF’s priority of revamping the education sector in the region and its philosophy of rebuilding better structures and amenities than the ones destroyed.
“It was a school so significant for the social development of the local government and the region that was destroyed during one of the crises in Taraba. It has been quite some struggle on the part of the state government to try to give some monicum of recovery to the place to enable children reuse those facilities.
“The efforts have reached a point that they required significant input from elsewhere and we have been approached by the state government to assist with it.”
Ochoche added that the fund would work closely with all the partners and with its consultants and that not later than the middle of 2018, “we would be commissioning the school.”
He hinted that the fund will be extending its support to Adamawa and Yobe States and is also in the process of building schools in Borno.
Responding, Governor of Taraba State, represented by Hon. Jigem Johaves said; “some months ago, the Taraba State government has been doing its best about education, but we discovered that the Community Secondary School, Takum has been razed down by unknown gunmen. We approached Victims Support Fund with this problem and to seek for its support.”
