Residents of Ladanai and Tsamiya Babba communities, Nasarawa Local Government Area of Kano State, have lauded the Federal Government’s intervention to curb gully erosion ravaging the communities.

In a statement on Tuesday, in Abuja, Eno Olotu, spokesperson of the Ecological Fund Project Office (EPO), said the Federal Government, through the EPO, was executing the projects, aimed at mitigating gully erosion that had been ravaging the communities for more than 40 years.

Mrs Olotu said the commendation was sequel to the recent tour of ecological projects sites in Kano , by officials of the EPO, led by its Permanent Secretary, Shehu Ibrahim.

According to her, representatives of the benefiting communities, Shamsu Adam and Abdullahi Auwal, who gave the commendation on behalf of residents, said the project had averted frequent deaths, particularly of children, often swept away by flooding, as well as loss of properties.

Mrs Olotu said that Mr Ibrahim had during the inspection, noted that the scope of the project included 1.5km accelerated gully erosion works, with a 1.2km road side reinforcement drain systems, and 1km collector drains with more than 200,000sqm reclamation of eroded land.

The permanent secretary expressed satisfaction with the quality of work by the contractor, adding that the intervention would end 40 years of agony of the people.

“l am excited that the residents in both communities have returned to their lands and farming businesses, after decades of being displaced due to the ecological challenge,” he said.

Usman Kansila, an official of UYK Nigeria Limited, the company handling the project, said UYK had deployed its technical expertise to ensure execution of quality work towards tackling the challenge.

Mr Kansila pledged speedy completion of the project, which he said would stand the test of time.

(NAN)