United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) says it is working towards providing a befitting learning centre for over 3000 out-of- school children at the Ukpam Internally Displaced People’s (IDP) camp in Guma Local Government Area of Benue.
UNICEF Chief Field Officer, Dr Ibrahim Conteh, stated this on Saturday in Ukpam while fielding questions from journalists after a monitoring visit of the two IDP camps at Daudu and Ukpam, in Guma LGA of the state.
Conteh, who regretted the absence of a school structure to accommodate the children at the camp, said without education and the provision of basic learning materials, the future of the children would be bleak.
He assured that UNICEF would collaborate with the Benue State Government and other stakeholders in the education sector to ensure the construction of a structure for the children.
He said there were gaps in the provision of all basic services at the camps, but that those that were of prime concern to them was education, health and sanitation.
He regretted that at the moment, there was no school structure in the camp, explaining that children were being taught under trees.
The UNICEF chief also inaugurated four units of VIP toilets comprising 20 rooms, which it built for the Ukpam camp.
He said the health of the IDPs was of utmost importance to the organisation.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that while at the Daudu 1 solar powered water project, Conteh told the committee members to take ownership of the project and protect it against vandals.
He advised them to ensure minor repairs of the facility while the Benue State Water and Sanitation Agency, which collaborated with them to provide the facility should intervene in major repairs.
UNICEF Consultant, Mr Toyin Adisa, told the visiting UNICEF chief that the water scheme also served the IDP camp at Daudu.
Mr Orkaa Cyprian, a resident of Mbayongo community, where the project is situated commended UNICEF for the provision of the water scheme adding that their search for potable water had ended.
(NAN)