Tudun Biri: World Bank, ANRiN Put Smiles On The Faces of Residents 

Tudun Biri: World Bank, ANRiN put smiles on the faces of residents

By Femi Mustapha

It was a new dawn for residents of Tudun Biri, Ugara and Sabon Gida, in Igabi LGA, who were mistakenly bombed by drones on December 3, 2023, as the World Bank on 28th February  2024 launched an Emergency Intervention to rekindle hope in them.

The  Project is implemented by the Accelerating Nutrition Results in Nigeria (ANRiN ) under the Ministry of Health, Kaduna State with support from the World Bank and the Society for Family Health (SFH,) with a mandate to reduce the burden of Malnutrition in Kaduna State.

Speaking to the media during the engagement, the Project Manager, of ANRiN Dr Zainab Muhammad Idris Kwaru,  said the initiative is an emergency response to bring succour to the community that has suffered an unfortunate incident

She added that the intervention will also provide them with some support and training on how they can pick up their livelihood such as the provision of seedlings for them to have homestead gardens, especially by the women folk in the community and for the men, to re-establish their farming skills.

According to her, the VP charged the National Core Working Committee members to undertake urgent action on malnourished children

“There’s a provision to train them which has already been done, seedlings to establish their farming activities and also some food items such as rice, millet, maize, palm oil, beans and salt, all of which are vitamin fortified because as a nutrition program, we are very mindful of providing healthy foods.”

She called on other partners to take a step towards positive development and see how they can provide additional support.

“To us, this is a wake-up call for all and we believe that starting with the LGA, there’s a need for these facilities to be established.

“They have a teeming population which is over a thousand and they require some of these amenities for them to have a sense of belonging in the state and we believe the government is aware of that and will do the needful.”

She also urged the KDSG to keep up with the responsibility of providing social amenities, especially in communities where they lacked hospitals and schools.

Dr Zainab Muhammad Idris Kwaru stressed that based on findings and assessment, the community lacks a Primary Healthcare centre, and a Local Education School among others.

The community according to her also did not have a water and sanitation facility but thank God, another donor has provided a borehole for the community. I believe the government can do more to help these people.”

In his remarks the Ward Head of Tudun Biri, Malam Shuaibu thanked the Kaduna State Government and their partners for the initiative, saying that the items and animals would go a long way in reviving their farming spirit and cushion the hardship they face.

According to him, they had to give up their livelihood of farming and rearing animals due to banditry attacks which plunged them deeper into poverty.

He also used the platform to request hospitals, schools and other amenities that would further improve their lives and social well-being.

In her response, the deputy governor of Kaduna State, Hajiya Hadiza Balarabe, who was represented by Hajiya Fatima Abubakar appreciated the people of Tudun Biri for their patience since the occurrence of the sad incident and also assured them of the State government’s effort in doing its best to put all amenities in place.

“As you can see, development has started already and we encourage other organizations to come in as the government cannot do it alone.

“On behalf of the deputy governor of Kaduna State, we wish to appreciate ANRIN for this giant stride in supporting the community.” She said

Similarly, the General Manager of KADA, Muhammad Rili, said the items were for the benefit of their families especially at such hard times and urged them to judiciously use the items for the benefit of their dependents.