4 Rivers’ Communities Partner British Council On NEEDS Assessment

Four communities in Rivers State have gone into partnership with a non-governmental organisation funded by the British Council, the European Union Agents for Citizen Driven Transformation programme (EU-ACT), the Centre for Human Rights, Health, Ethnic Harmony and Livelihood Development (CHHELD) in order to implement the Nigerian Economic Empowerment Development Strategy (NEEDS) for their various communities.

LEADERSHIP correspondent gathered that the communities were Sa-Ama and Ido in Asari-Toru local government area as well as Obuama and Ipokuma communities in Degema local government area of the state.

Sa-Ama community requested for the construction of civic centre, electricity (metering of houses in the community), renovation/construction of internal drainage in the community to reduce flooding, the provision of portable drinking water and interlocking of the community internal roads.

On its part, Ido community requested for the fencing of Community Secondary School, Ido, provision of electricity prepaid metered to Ido households, human capital development, amongst others.

Other requests were medical equipment and personnel for the health centre in Ido and the provision of pipe borne water to the sand filled area of the community.

The requests of Ipokuma community in Degema local government area of the state include the construction of three modern public toilet to reduce open defecation, construction of consulate conference centre to provide a conducive environment for social and other lawful gathering in the community and human capital development amongst others.

Other requests include rehabilitation/construction of internal drainage in community to reduce flooding in the area, which include the junior staff quarters, high court quarters, correctional service quarters, etc, as well as the installation of solar street lights to reduce blackout in order to discourage criminality at night.

For Obuama community, the people requested the construction of standard market, construction of public toilets in the community as well as the rehabilitation/construction of internal drainages in the community to reduce flooding, amongst others.

Speaking during the meeting, the chairman of Asari-Toru local government area, Onengiyeofori George, praised the efforts of Sa-Ama and Ido communities for carrying out this exercise and bringing forth their vulnerabilities and NEEDS to the notice of the council.

Also speaking, the chairman of Degema local government area, Michael John Williams, appreciated the teams for carrying out this important exercise and assured the communities of the council’s intervention as regards the vulnerabilities presented.

Williams used the opportunity to call on other communities in the local government area to follow suit in carrying out vulnerability and NEEDS assessment in their communities.