Pulse.ng : February 2024

By Sani Idris

In an initiative of the Kaduna state government under its ministry of health, supported by the World Bank and implemented by the Accelerating Nutrition Results in Nigeria (ANRiN) project has distributed food items and vitamin fortified farm seedlings to 100 households who were victims of the Tudun Biri incidental Army drone attack.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that Tudun Biri, a community under Igabi LGA of Kaduna state, suffered an unfortunate Army drone attack which happened on December 3rd, living scores dead and many injured.

NAN also reports that ANRiN is a project funded by the World Bank that aims to increase quality and cost-effective nutrition services for pregnant and lactating women, adolescent girls, and children under 5-years of age.

The programme is focused on 12 states of Nigeria that have high levels of malnutrition, Kaduna inclusive.

NAN reports that the food items distributed were bags of rice, beans, millets, salt, palm oil, while the vitamin fortified seedings were that of potatoes, tomatoes and okra.

Others were herbicides, pesticides and male and female goats for rearing, among others.

Speaking to newsmen at the sideline of the distribution, Dr Zainab Muhammad-Idris, the Coordinator of ANRiN project in Kaduna, said the gesture was an emergency response to bring succour to Tudun Biri community over to the unfortunate incident.

Muhammad-Idris who doubles as the National President-elect of the Medical Women Association in Nigeria, said the support was to ensure the beneficiaries picked up with their livelihood after the drone attack incident.

She added that the inhabitants of Tudun Biri who were generally farmers, therefore informed ANRiN project to come up with the support that would provide their immediate needs.

She equally said that the event, which featured
training, centered for the women who benefited from the gesture, would enable them practice home gardening techniques and also avail the men the needed opportunity to re-engeneer their farming skills.

The Coordinator explained that after the visit to Tudun Biri by vice president Kashim Shettima, the world bank was approached to see what they could do through the ANRiN project.

She therefore said the World Bank swung ANRiN into action by going to the community to make assessments and establish the reality on ground.

She urged the beneficiary households to make judicious use of the items, while urging other individuals, corporate bodies and philanthropists to engage in such kinds of gestures for the betterment of less societies people and humanity at large.

She also urged the KDSG to keep up to the responsibility of providing social amenities especially in rural communities.

Muhammad-Idris commended the KDSG, SFH and other stakeholders for ensuring the success of the event.

Speaking on behalf of the beneficiaries, the Ward Head of Tudun Biri, Malam Sulaiman Shuaibu, thanked the KDSG for the support.

He said they are predominantly farmers, but seized to keeping up to farming and rearing animals due to banditry attacks.

Shuaibu therefore said the items and animals would go along way in reinvigorating their farming spirit and cushion the hardship they face.

He thanked the KDSG and their partners for the initiative, while canvassing for hospitals, schools and other social amenities that would futher improve their lives and social wellbeing.

Earlier, the Deputy Governor of Kaduna state, Hajiya Hadiza Balarabe, restated the government’s committment towards ensuring that the promises made to Tudun Biri were fulfilled.

Balarabe, represented by Hajiya Fatima Abubakar, the Acting Director, Administration and Finance of the state Emergency Management Agency, said the distribution of the food items and farming needs was a step towards ameliorating the sufferings of the drone attack victims.

She urged them to make judicious use of the items for the benefit of their dependents and reinvigorating back farming in the community.

NAN reports that present at the event were representatives from the Kaduna Agricultural Development Agency (KADA), the state Ministry of Agriculture and Health, Civil Society Scaling Up Nutrition in Nigeria, Society for Family Health (SFH), among others.(NAN)