Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes (ACReSAL) has compensated 72 persons affected by gully erosion project with N64,410,60 million in Ngamdu town, Borno State.

ACReSAL is a World Bank-financed project designed to tackle the pressing issues of land degradation and climate change in 19 states of Northern Nigeria and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

The National Project Coordinator of ACReSAL, Abdulhamid Umar, flagged up the cheques distribution in Maiduguri on Friday.

Represented by the SLO from Katsina, Aisha Mohammed Yusuf, the coordinator called on the beneficiaries to see the intervention as an opportunity for an upgrade, as the project will bring significant growth to the area.

“I must commend you for volunteering your ancestral homes and lands to give way for this development. It’s a sacrifice that will not only benefit you but save lives and property of the entire community,” she said.

Yusuf further advised the beneficiaries to invest the money in business that would profit them.

“Invest the money first, then use the proceeds to add two, three wives if you wish, we are not against marriage but make sure you can take care of them,” she remarked.

Borno State ACReSAL coordinator, Peters Ayuba, reiterated the project’s commitment to environmental sustainability and ecological management.

He also called on the project-affected persons to use the compensation money wisely by venturing into trades that would bring more development to the community.

“Also, in line with Governor Babagana Zulum’s empowerment initiative, we disbursed N50,000 each to vulnerable people, including persons with special needs to reduce the effect of economic hardship in the society,” he said.

On her part, the permanent secretary Ministry of Environment, Dr Juliana Bitrus, who represented the commissioner, noted that the project would combat the erosion and flooding, which would address the long standing ecological challenges in the community.

She commended Governor Zulum for providing the needed support to the agency and his leadership commitment to good governance in the state.

The village head of Ngamdu, Babagana Abba Yusuf, noted that the erosion project is just one out of many interventions that ACReSAL executed in the community.

“We have benefitted from the free flow project, boreholes renovation, tree planting and many more. I thanked the agency for considering Ngamdu and I want to promise you that the money given to us will be judiciously used,” he said.