By Amos Aar
BENUE State governor, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia, has flagged off the construction of modern conference hall at the headquarters of the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Makurdi.
Performing the ceremony on Tuesday, the governor, represented by his Principal Private Secretary, Dr Emmanuel Chenge, said the hall will not merely be a structure but a symbol of collective commitment to the coordination and management of humanitarian response efforts in the state.
The governor, who assured of sustained collaboration with international partners, said the moderns conference hall will also serve as a platform for capacity building, knowledge sharing and advocacy.
He commended the executive secretary of SEMA, Sir James Iorpuu, and his team for their dedication and unwavering commitment to serving Benue people in the face of daunting challenges, saying “this hall will serve as a testament to your hard work and perseverance”.
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Earlier in his address, the BSEMA Executive Secretary, James Iorpuu, said the state-of-the-art conference hall will serve as a pivotal hub for humanitarian affairs in Benue State, providing a conducive environment for strategic discussions, capacity building sessions and emergency response coordination.
Iorpuu called on partners including International Organisation for Migration (IOM), the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) and other UN agencies to join the state in providing humanitarian services to its people.
In his remarks, project design holder, Prof. Gabriel Akpen, from the bureau of special projects and infrastructure, intimated that the building will be made up a conference hall with 330 sitting capacity, a board room for meetings, some offices for executive secretary, accountant and other staff of the agency as well as a situation room for coordination of responses about emergencies from communities.
Speaking on behalf of the country representative of the UNHCR, Mr Sally Okpaje promised continued support of the commission to ensure that the project is completed. He disclosed that they were already assisting internally displaced persons in six local government areas in Benue state including Kwande, Agatu, Guma, Gwer West, Makurdi and Logo.
On his part, chief of mission, IOM, De Lauren Boeck, assured of sustained partnership to enable Benue state government provide humanitarian support for people in need.
“Based on this partnership, we are here to reiterate our commitment to be behind the government of Benue to provide the necessary assistance to the people”, Boeck stated.
