BY VICTOR NWEGEDE
The members of the Nigeria Reformed Church (NRC) have drilled four boreholes for the victims of the herders' attack living in the affected communities at the boundary between Benue and Ebonyi State.
While inaugurating the bore-holes, on Saturday at Nwori Nduobashi Market Square in Ndiegu Ishieke Autonomous Community in Ebonyi Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, the National President of the NRC, Rev. Johnson Ebeke, disclosed that each of the affected villages including Nduobashi, Odoke, Ekpufu and Obakota was drilled one borehole by the Church as way of helping them to alleviate their sufferings following the merciless attacks by the killer-herdsmen on 30th May, 2021.
The Church also laid foundation of the building projects for the 17 widows drawn out from the affected villages with over 150 other victims to be assisted to rebuild their destroyed houses by their attackers.
He said the Church had earlier given palliatives to the victims of the herders' attack in the area, where they learnt that the people needed more assistance including houses, drinkable water and other amenities to keep life going.
The condition of the people, according to Ebeke, made the leaders and members of the Church, with the assistance of their brothers in the Netherlands to draw out plan for immediate intervention, starting from the already drilled boreholes and the ongoing building projects in the area.
He said the estimate for the projects is over 120 million Naira and the committee in charge has procured all the needed materials including the drilled four boreholes, zinc, nails, rods, polines, rafters, cement, sand, stones, among others.
He advised the affected people to continue to trust in God, living peacefully among themselves and with full assurance that the building projects would be completed within two months following the flag off ceremony.
Lending his voice, the Chairman of the Project Working Committee, Rev. Nicodemus Ibinna Udeh expressed the readiness of the committee to complete the building projects on the stipulated date, noting that the needed materials have been procured.
He said the committee under his watch has to be very fast in executing the projects to ensure the beneficiaries relocate to their compounds following the full completion of their houses before rainy season this year.
Also, Architect Augustine Nwechara, the Chief Executive Officer of AUSEMAJO - the contractor of the projects assured of quality service delivery and speedy completion of the jobs.
The community people including the National Vice President of Ndiegu Ishieke Community, Chief Godwin Nwedeoga, the Nduobashi Village Head - Chief Christopher Ojeogu, the Public Relations Officer of the community - Comrade Friday Nwogbala, a widow who benefited from the building projects, Mrs Elizabeth Nwogbodo, among others commended the members of the Church and described their intervention as a divine and memorable one.
Recall that the Church promised to build not more than a 5 bed room flat for each of the 17 widows to enable her to assist other victims for the completion of their houses depending on the size of their families before the rainy season this year.
