Benue Executive Council Approves Partial Reopening of Schools

BY OSBERT TOR-NAJIME, MAKURDI – The Benue State Executive Council on Wednesday approved the reopening of schools in compliance with the recommendations of the Presidential Tax Force on COVID-19.
The State Executive Council also approved a Public Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement for the management of the Makurdi Modern Market.
Briefing newsmen shortly after the Executive meeting presided over by Governor Samuel Ortom, the Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, Mrs. Ngunan Adingi, said the schools would be reopened for Primary 6 pupils and students in JSS 3 and SS3.
Adingi said the Benue State Action Committee on COVID-19 would further meet with the Ministry of Education to fine tune modalities on underlining protocols to be observed and a date for the reopening of schools agreed on.
She also noted that due diligence would be carried out to identify interested persons in the PPP arrangement and those with the requisite capacities for engagement.

The Information Commissioner further said that the State Executive Council also approved a request for the 2019 and 2020 International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) Assisted Rice and Cassava Value Chain Development Programme.
She stated that government is going to pay its counterpart funding for the programme so that farmers in the state especially in six Local Government Areas could access funding for rice and cassava farming.