The wife of the Cross River State Governor, Mrs Eyoanwan Otu, on Thursday, flagged off the ‘Back-to-school’ Project under her Humanity Without Borders (HUWIB) initiative in Adagom Refugee Camp, Ogoja Local Government Area.
Flagging off the project, Mrs. Otu, stated that education was the biggest investment that the state could make to bring about long-lasting and productive change for the future generation. She went on to say that the project is aimed at reducing the burden on the parents of the children, as refugees are considered as one of the most vulnerable in the society.
She said that the greatness of every child in Cross River and Nigeria as a whole was hinged on the quality of education the child received and the ease with which the child had access to education.
‘The back-to-school project is geared at providing succour to the most vulnerable in local communities.‘
‘The choice of flagging off the Back-to-School project in a refugee camp cannot be over-emphasised because refugees are considered, in my view, as one of the most vulnerable in our society.‘
‘While I commend the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) for their efforts, I am committed to working with them to provide support for both refugees and host communities.’
Otu said the host communities where UNHCR works included Adagom, Ukende and other areas. In his remarks, Dr Steven Odey, the state Commissioner for Education, said the intervention was the beginning of a new dawn. Odey assured that the Ministry of Education would give its support to the vision of the governor’s wife and implored many more Nigerians to emulate her.
Also speaking at the programme, Madam Bibiana Ngwa, Chairperson of Adagom 1 Settlement, applauded the people of Cross River State particularly the Adagom people for hosting them as refugees.
Acknowledging that the lives of refugees exert a huge pressure on the normal lives of people, Ngwa appealed for more assistance for the refugees in areas of capacity development, education, shelter, water and sanitation, hygiene and health.
She pledged the readiness of the refugees to continually abide by the laws and cooperate with the government of Cross River.
NEWS AGENCY OF NIGERIA.
 initiative in Adagom Refugee Camp, Ogoja Local Government Area.){kind=link}