Segun Awofadeji in Bauchi
As part of efforts to rebuild the lives and dignity of communities recently ravaged by the activities of Boko Haram insurgency in the North-east, the Bauchi State Fadama Coordination Office (SFCO) of the Northeast Food Security and Livelihood Support Project has identified 67 communities with over 2,680 households and supported them with food to enhance their livelihood.
This implies that a total of 22,551 direct beneficiaries have been reached out to by the SFCO, and of this number, 53 per cent of the direct beneficiaries were female-headed households.
Disclosing this during the official launching of “Fadama Vanguard” under the auspices of Cash-for-Work programme of the Fadama lll Additional Financing ll held at Wunti Dada, Bauchi Friday, the National Coordinator of the Project, Mr. Tayo Adewumi, noted that to date “Bauchi SFCO has made a remarkable achievement on the project implementation as 67 communities were identified for support leading to the production of 67 Community Action Plans (CAPs) for funding support”.
Adewumi, represented by Mrs Busayo Awotunde, Coordinator, CAPs, also disclosed that already, 25 additional CAPs have been cleared for the state to implement in the 2018 approved work plan and budget, and about 1,000 households are expected to benefit from the implementation of CAPs.
According to him, “The use of cash as a means of relief, recovery and development has long been the pivot of responsive governments to addressing situations such as natural disasters or economic shocks,” adding that: “Nigeria through Fadama lll AF ll has designed the ‘Cash-for-Work ‘ as a viable option to the reconstruction of the North-eastern part of the country recently ravaged by the activities of the Boko Haram insurgence.”
“Cash-for-Work programme is designed to benefit 12,000 households across the North-east and Gombe with 92 Community Action Plans is targeting 1,840 youths and women to benefit,” he explained.
The national project coordinator further explained that the programme is also designed to encourage trade, production activities and to create secondary economic benefits for the despaired benefiting communities, adding that: “It is built to enhance the communities the opportunity to the choice and control of how they will rebuild their lives, thus helping to restore their dignity as well as the source of their livelihoods.”
“The Fadama Vanguard we are flagging off today is a cash-for-work programme in which the beneficiaries get cash in exchange for labour and participation in rehabilitation of community-led auctions,” he added.
In a welcome address, the traditional ruler of Wunti Dada community, Alhaji Musa Abubakar, expressed appreciation over the flagging off of the Fadama Vanguard programme in his domain, saying that the cash-for-work programme will improve the livelihoods of his people.
The traditional ruler commended the Bauchi State Fadama Coordination Office “for always evolving programmes and projects towards alleviating poverty among the people and ensuring food security in the rural areas as well as restoration of livelihood activities of those affected by the Boko Haram insurgency”.
