Ahead of Nigeria’s 64th independence celebration, Benue State governor, Hyacinth Alia, has visited and donated food and other items to orphanage homes in the state.

The exercise, which began Friday, was coordinated by the Bureau for Internal Affairs and Special Services, Office of the Governor, and ended on Sunday.

Mr Alia visited NKST Orphanage Home, Mkar, TIVID Orphanage Home International, Makurdi, Gidan Bege Makurdi, Children of Mary Orphanage, Otukpo, and Benue State Rehabilitation School, Apir.

In each of the orphanage homes visited, the governor donated bags of rice, cartons of noodles, biscuits, soaps, sanitary pads, izal, detergents, tissues, and a cow.

He also gave cash to cater for other needs of the vulnerable children in the centres, especially on Independence Day.

Speaking through his Special Adviser on Women Affairs, Scholastica Ben-sor, during the visits, Mr Alia said the gesture was part of his administration’s resolve to provide hope for orphans and vulnerable children.

The governor said that his administration resolved to always be there for those in need, especially during periods such as the Independence Day celebration.

The acting Permanent Secretary, Bureau of Internal Affairs and Special Services, Paul Oko. thanked the founders and directors of orphanage homes for providing good parental care to orphans and vulnerable children under their care.

Mr Oko advised the children and their carers to continue to believe in God and keep hoping for a better and more prosperous future.

He added that the government would continue to provide financial and logistical assistance to meet their basic needs.

The heads of the orphanages, in separate speeches, thanked Mr Alia for visiting them.

They also thanked him for ensuring that the children in the orphanage homes also celebrate Nigeria’s 64th independence joyfully.

They highlighted lack of proper accommodation, feeding, and mobility as some of the challenges facing them and appealed to the state government to come to their aid.

(NAN)