Christian Aid closes the ECID project in Anambra, Kaduna
From Sola Ojo, Kaduna
As a deliberate plan to ensure that every citizen of Kaduna State regardless of their physical status is carried along in governance, the Kaduna State Executive Council has approved the establishment of the disability trust fund (DTF).
When it becomes operational, the fund will be able to have a separate account where a dedicated portion of taxes would be deposited on every business day to provide automatic spending authority to take care of disabled-worker and their immediate household to ensure everyone lives a dignified life.
Commissioner, Human Services and Social Development, Hafsat Mohammed-Baba, stated this in an interview with newsmen at the close-out of a UK funded Evidence and Collaboration for Inclusive Development (ECID) project in Kaduna and Anambra states implemented by Christian Aid Nigeria.
According to her, data collection is very important as it would help the state government to plan very well for the people including children, women in the hard-to-reach communities and people living with disabilities.
“Sustainability is very key and that is what this government is leveraging on in all we do so that even after this government, the next one will continue from where we stop which is why we have laws and policies in place to ensure that sustainability.
“Even if the development partners are closing a particular programme, we believe they are coming back to execute other programmes because we are an open and worthy state.
“We have made the environment conducive for development partners to continue to be supporting us.
“We will also try to generate enough revenue to be able to continue with our project because putting people first is the most important focus of this administration.
“We are also establishing the disability trust fund which has been approved by the State Executive Council which is part of what we are doing to ensure that nobody is left behind”, she said.
Overseer, Kaduna State Bureau of Statistics, Jonah Justice Yusuf said, “the ECID project added value to data collected in Kaduna state. It has also supported the state in building the capacity of statisticians in all the 23 local government areas of the state.”
Earlier, Head of Programmes, Christian Aid, Temitope Fashola, described the state as open and would continue to work with it.
“Kaduna State is open for us in Nigeria and we will continue to work in the state. We are launching a bigger project in the state from here.
“We have been gathering data to support the state government to make decisions that will improve the lives of the people of Kaduna State especially for the most marginalised groups like adolescents between 13-19, poor rural women in the hard to reach communities and people living with disability in Kubau, Kauru and Makarfi local government area,” he said.
This is good step to take at the right time, may Allah Grant them good rewards.