From Chuma Austin, Enugu
The Chairman, Board of Community and Social Development Project (CSDP), Comrade Ibuchukwu Ohabuenyi Ezike has lauded the World Bank management for mapping out $20 million to Enugu State to cushion the effects of Corona virus christened “Covid-19”, saying it would go a long way in ameliorating the hardship of the people occasioned by the pandemic.
Ezike disclosed this on Wednesday during a CSDP stakeholders’ meeting to strategize ahead of the take off of the NG-CARES project in the state.
According to him, “the fund is under the Covid-19 Action Recovery and Economic Stimulus (NG-CARES) project that will take off in the middle of this year. It is in an effort to find a solution to the crisis of this pandemic and cushion its negative effects on our society”
“The Nigerian Government in collaboration with the state governments and development partners came up with efforts at attempting solutions to this pandemic by developing a CARES document. The document is anchored on two major areas; economic activities and food supply and distribution”, he added.
He further explained, “The major objective is to restore livelihood of the indigent population and the vulnerable, adding that it will help to recover and activate economic activities in Nigeria.
“We were very careful in selecting participants to this meeting. You are strategically placed to help our Agency to sensitize and mobilize our rural communities and people for active, popular participation in the CARES Project.
Earlier, the General Manager of CSDA, Mr. ThankGod Onoja who commended Governor Ugwuanyi for his rural transformation programme, noted that the Agency through his support has provided functional projects such as health centres, schools, electricity, water, town hall, built stalls in markets as well as construction of rural roads and bridges in different communities in the state.
He commended the Federal Government, State and World Bank for finding a solution to the disastrous effects of Covid-19 through the CARES project which he said would run in all the 17 local government areas in the state.