The Federal Government has hinted on plans to rehabilitate existing dams and construct new ones to boost irrigation farming and hydropower generation across the country.
Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Prof. Joseph Utsev, disclosed the plans on Wednesday while leading the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Mr. Richard Pheelangwah, and some Technical Directors on an assessment tour of the Azare-Jere Irrigation Project and the Gurara Multipurpose Dam in Kaduna State.
According to a statement made available by the Personal Assistant to the Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Terhemen Oraduen, the Minister revealed that part of the mandate given to his Ministry by President Bola Tinubu was to boost food production through irrigated agriculture, enhance hydropower generation, and create employment opportunities for the teeming youth population.
According to him, the visit to the Azare-Jere Irrigation Project and the Gurara Multipurpose Dam was aimed at assessing existing facilities, determining their current status, and identifying possible challenges for prompt intervention.
The Minister further revealed that several multipurpose dams have been recommended for rehabilitation and new ones will also be constructed including those along the Sokoto–Badagry Highway in order to scale up irrigation farming and contribute more hydropower to the national grid.
On his part, the Facility Manager of the Azare-Jere Irrigation Project and Gurara Multipurpose Dam, Engr. Gazali Tukur Mohammed, stated that although insecurity remains a major challenge affecting the smooth operation of the facilities, the management team remains committed to fulfilling its mandate of supplying water to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The Gurara Multipurpose Dam and Azare-Jere Irrigation Projects were developed by the Federal Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation, with some components concessioned to Grams and Abel for management and maintenance under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement.
