By Ogalah Ibrahim

Katsina State Governor, Aminu Bello Masari has said that 85 communities and over two million people from Katsina State have directly or indirectly benefited from the World Bank Nigeria Erosion and Watershed Management Project (NEWMAP) intervention since the commencement of the programme in 2016.

Masari made the disclosure when the World Bank Country Director, Professor Shubham Chaudhuri, led the NEWMAP team to Katsina State for a first-hand assessment and inspection of the intervention projects in Jibia, Malumfashi, Funtua and Katsina Local Government Area, being executed and funded by the International Development Association (IDA).

Before the world bank intervention, Masari said “the State Government received over 3000 complaints from communities across Katsina seeking for intervention in the areas of flooding and flood control but his government was able to utilize the state limited resources to address most of the challenges recorded,” noting that the State Government spent over one billion naira addressing the issue.

Governor Masari also noted that “the state suffered series of environmental challenges, recalling the unfortunate disaster that occurred on the 25th July 2018, at Jibia town as a result of heavy downpour that lasted for about three hours which led to the loss of lives and properties worth millions of Naira, with similar disaster recorded in Malumfashi, Funtua, and Katsina also in the last few years.

However, the Katsina Governor, said: “the enlistment of Katsina as one of the NEWMAP participating states, has no doubt, greatly assisted the government in fulfilling some of the promises made to the electorate, especially on the issues concerning flood control, land degradation, enhancement of the economy and social welfare through creation of wealth and jobs.”

Governor Masari used the opportunity to draw the attention of the World Bank on the need to hasten the design and review of the second phase of the storm water drainage management scheme at Katsina and Jibia.

Earlier, the World Bank Country Director, Professor Shubham Chaudhuri, while speaking on the NEWMAP intervention in Katsina State, urged people of the state “to see the project as truly government programmes and not World Bank’s.” He also appealed to them to ensure that the programme last long beyond World Bank’s involvement, saying that the true measure of success for the project would be determined by the ability of the government to sustain the project in the long run.

Chaudhuri said: “what we do is very simple. We work through the government to provide financing support but these are not World Bank programmes but World Bank’s supported and assisted programmes.

“The projects should last long beyond when World Bank was involved. I think that would be the true measure of success and not just the immediate success that you observed, but the sustainability of this, the continuation of this, as the state government continue to deliver for the people of Katsina State.

” We are ready to support you, making sure that every single child in Katsina State has the very best of education, primary healthcare, roads to connect farmers to market.”

In his remark, Salisu Dahiru, the National Coordinator, NEWMAP, said “coming to Katsina allowed them the opportunity “to get real on the ground feeling of what the recorded projects had accomplished over the years.”

While thanking Governor Masari for the unrelenting cooperation and support the NEWMAP task team enjoyed from him at the state and federal level, Salisu disclosed that “another sister project, with the kind participation and approval of the World Bank will be launched in the next few weeks and will carry on from where NEWMAP will stop.”