BENUE COMMUNITY GIVES KUDOS TO LOWER BENUE RIVER BASIN DEV. AUTHORITY

By Abah Matthew Abah-Enyi (windsoundafrica@gmail.com)

Ugbugbu Community, a densly populated agrarian  community of about ten villages in Owukpa district of Obadigbo Local Government Area of Benue State is in jubilant dispensation and may soon re-ecko the tangible  gratitude and well wishes of their leaders and dwellers to the Managing Director and the entire Management Staff of Lower Benue River Basin Development Authority for its humane faced Corporate Social Governance policy which has seen the community wallowing in economically emancipatory relationship with the federal government agency since 2019.

Gov. Samuel Ortom Executive Governor, Benue State

The present air of reciprocative respect between the community dwellers and LBRBDA was boldly rekindled when the Authority visited the community in response to objections raised on behalf of the community in respect of compensations paid out to a number of dwellers whose economic valuables were affected by a dam project graciously sited in the community by LBRBDA. On 26th May 2021, LBRBDA officials led by senior officers from the Legal and other relevant departments stormed the community with explanations for the initial over site and handsomely made corrections in terms amounts of money paid out to various crops and economic tree owners. Even as the listed beneficiaries later made complaints about wrongly spelt names leading to nonpayment and unexplained non payment in a few cases, the majority expressed well earned confidence on the officials and contractors of the federal government Agency for their listening ears as re-enacted by the reviewed values of their losses. They profusely expressed hope that the humane spirit that has guided the Authority in relating with the community dwellers so far will continue to prevail all the way in the execution of the Authority’s economically uplifting projects of a Bridge Work, a Borehole and a Dam which are on going in the Community.

Senator Patrick Abba Moro Senator, Federal Republic of Nigeria Benue North-East Senatorial District.

While acknowledging with thanks, the invaluable reciprocative relationship between them and LBRBDA, they equally expressed their high respect and gratitude to their own son, Engr Mayas Adoyi, an erstwhile Executive Director of Engineering Service for his comprehensible weighing in on the decisions of the Authority during the projects initial allocation and Mr. Matthew Ekere, an influential friend and contractor of the Agency for his obvious inputs.1

Engr. Suleiman Hussein Adamu, Honourable Minister of Water Resources Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Mr. Matthew Abah, the Community’s National Development Association Chairman, whose appreciation and request for reciprocative relationship letter on behalf of the Association in respect of the project’s allocation and compensations payment anomalies resulted into a meeting and subsequent correction, conveyed the appreciation of the Community’s traditional leader and all residents to the Authority through a telephone call to the Agency through its legal department which led the last visit to the community. Hon Matthew Achanya, whose presence at the corrective meeting with the Agency was invaluable and who provided leadership during the last visit to the community also praised LBRBDA for its displayed humility in leadership. The leader of the legal team from LBRBDA Barr Sylvester Nomji thanked the community for the exemplary cooperation with his team, saying that it was the first time he was witnessing such level of  reciprocative relationship.  The actual form of communicating the feelings of Ugbugbu people and guidance on future progress of the Projects will be discussed at their next meeting.