Delta State Government says it will train 75 local governments’ officials under the Needs Assessment and Baseline Survey (NABS) programme of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

The State Commissioner for Special Duties (MDGs), Mrs Victoria Ikechukwu, disclosed this in an interview with newsmen in Asaba on Sunday.

Ikechukwu said that the officials selected from the 25 LGAs, would train other officials at the end of their training and also be involved in the execution of NABS in the state.

She said that the participation of the selected officials would be funded by their various councils while the state government would provide other basic logistics.

Ikechukwu explained that the NABS programme was designed to provide the data needed for the estimation of activities and resources required to accelerate progress of MDG projects and programmes in the council areas.

“The baseline facility inventory is intended to complement information available from `harmonised living survey 2009′ with respect to the status and service delivery of the facilities relating to MDGs,” she said.

She stated that the assessment survey would focus on four sectors, comprising health, education, agriculture and water and sanitation.

The commissioner hinted that the training would be closely monitored by her office, adding that any local government area that failed to participate would be automatically disqualified from the scheme.

She also disclosed that three LGAs in the state were among the 113 in the country that recently benefited from MDGs’ Conditional Grant Scheme (CGS).

Ikechukwu listed the beneficiary-councils in the state as Ukwuani, Ethiope West and Warri South West, adding that the state government had continued to meet its counterpart funding obligation on MDG.

“The three local governments in the state will be used as pilot schemes for the programme but we are aware that the Federal Government has plans to scale it up to the other councils across the country,” she added.