NAN-AE-10
Club
By Emmanuel Antswen
Makurdi, April 20, 2017 (NAN) The Makurdi branch of Rubies Centennial Lion Club International on Thursday planted varieties of economic trees at the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) Camp in Daudu, near Makurdi.
News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the tree planting was part of the activities lined up by the association to mark this year’s World Environment Day in the state.
The Club Centennial President, Mrs Patricia Kupchi, said that the action aptly demonstrated the club’s commitment to promoting the healthy living of humanity, especially those quartered at the IDP camp.
She said that the non-governmental organisation decided to plant the trees as its contribution towards efforts to control global warming and improve the living conditions of the people.
“We are here to first of all plant these economic trees to make the camp environment friendly for the IDPs and identify some of the immediate needs of the IDPs.
“We will then fashion out ways on how the association can come in to address them,’’ she said.
In his remarks, Rachel Ityonzughul, the Chairman of Benue Non-Government Organisation Network (BENGONET), bemoaned the dearth of health and education facilities at the camp.
She said that the association had already appealed to the state Ministries of Health and Human Services, Education and Women Affairs for assistance.
Also speaking, Mr Sam Agwa, Head of the United Nations High Commissioner For Refugees (UNHCR) Field Unit in Makurdi, commended the club for the initiative.
He noted that most people often believed that food was the most important thing to donate to the IDPs, saying that the people also needed trees for environmental protection.
The Camp Chairman, Thomas Wergba, thanked the club for recognising that the IDPs also needed environmental protection and pledged that they would nurture the trees to maturity.
He, however, appealed to the government to provide security at the Daudu IDPs Camp, while making pragmatic efforts to facilitate the hitch-free return of the displaced persons to their respective neighbourhoods. (NAN)
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