Kogi State is set to benefit from the eight-year Strategic Investment Loan, SIL, of $508.59m to ameliorate the effect of environmental degradation in the state.
The project, which is in collaboration with the International Development Association, IDA; the Global Environment Facility, GEF; Trust Fund, and the Federal Government, would be implemented by the Nigeria Erosion and Watershed Management Project, NEWMAP.
Governor Yahaya Bello, while receiving representatives of the World Bank and NEWMAP at Government House, Lokoja, said environmental degradation and its challenges had been a serious problem in Kogi. He said recently, people of the Kogi have been suffering as a result of environmental disaster, lamenting that the state does not have the fund to tackle the ugly situation.
He said:“It is a good thing now that the international donor agency and World Bank are coming together to assist us. This will go a long way in impacting on the lives of our people, especially the rural dwellers. “I am very satisfied with the presentation of the agency and ours is to pay a token as part of our counterpart funding. We will conduct them round the state so that they can see areas of challenges and how best they can attend to it.”
The governor explained that the state’s contribution depends on the level of challenges, and urged the representatives to go round, interact with the communities and also visit erosion sites. He said their findings would determine how much will be required and the amount the state government would contribute for the project.