The Federal Government of Nigeria is committed to rehabilitating existing dams and constructing new ones to boost irrigation farming and hydropower generation.
Minister for Water Resources and Sanitation, Prof. Joseph Utsev, disclosed this on Wednesday, November 12, when he led Permanent Secretary of his ministry, Mr Richard Pheelangwah and some Technical Directors on an assessment tour of Azere-Jere Irrigation Project and Gurara Multipurpose Dam in Kaduna State, the minister’s Media Aide, Terhemen Oraduen said in a statement.
Part of the mandate assigned to the Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu (PBAT) is to boost food production in the country through irrigated agriculture and improve hydropower generation, as well as create jobs for the teeming youth.
According to Prof. Utsev, the visit to the Azare-Jere Irrigation Project and the Gurara Dam was to carry out an assessment of facilities on the ground, examine their current status, and identify possible challenges for immediate action.
He stated that several multipurpose dams have been recommended for rehabilitation and the construction of more ones, including the ones along the Sokoto-Badagry Coastal road to scale up irrigation farming and generate more hydropower for the national grid.
Facility Manager, Azere-Jere Irrigation Project and Gurara Multipurpose Dam, Engr. Gazali Tukur Mohammed, said that though insecurity has remained the major challenge affecting the smooth operation of the facilities, they have been committed to delivering on their mandate of supplying water to Kaduna and the FCT.
The Gurara Multipurpose Dam and Azare-Jere Irrigation Project were developed by the Federal Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation, and some components were concessioned to Grams and Abel for management and maintenance through a Public-Private Partnership arrangement.
