I didn’t realise how much Nigeria’s water sector has been grossly under-reported until I attended a media briefing, addressed by the Minister of Water Resources, Engineer Suleiman H. Adamu in Abuja recently.
Mrs Kenechukwu Offie, a fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) and the Director of Public Relations in the Ministry, had made several efforts to stoke my interest in the water sector for possible media coverage in our Economic Confidential or PRNigeria platforms.
I had worked closely with Mrs Offie, my senior while I was in the public service and after my retirement a decade ago. I always wondered what was so exciting for her about the Ministry of Water Resources, particularly after she had served in a number of ‘juicy’ positions in the State House, Aso Rock, Abuja; the Office of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), during the tenure of Mrs Amina Mohammed (now Deputy Secretary General of United Nations); and the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation, among others.
Therefore, last Thursday, she invited me again to attend a press brief, where some milestones in the water sector under President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration were to be revealed with facts and figures, I finally decided to honour her requests.
She had early told me that the Minister was a pragmatic leader who deliberately refused to abandon inherited projects, as he essentially regards government as a continuum for which the public good is paramount and the overriding consideration, not personalities. With this crucial mindset, Engineer Adamu has not only improved on ongoing programmes within his remit, but has more so ensured the completion of most of the old projects he inherited on coming into office.
At the briefing, the Minister proudly emphasised his strong conviction on how it was a vital professional imperative for him to make sure he completes all inherited projects before engaging in newer ones. This is a highly unusually and largely commendable attitude to enhancing the Nigerian commonwealth and infrastructure for the greater good, particularly in an environment in which many are prone to the individualism – if not selfishness – of executing only projects that they are architects of, and which serves interests with which they are identified, without much contemplation of what is really of enduring benefit to the public.
As such, the entire country almost feels like a dumpsite of uncompleted, and even overlapping, projects that have been some of the biggest sources of wastage of the national commonwealth, very unfortunately.
Engineer Suleiman pointed out that being one of the key sectors that drive the agenda for national food security and human capital development, the Ministry of Water Resources’ core mandates are to improve the supply of potable water in the country, the improvement of irrigation systems to bolster what could otherwise be low-yield rain-fed agriculture, and the development of Nigeria’s hydro-power infrastructure.
Beyond the controversy over the Water Bill that was criticised by politicians and sections of the media, I was amazed by the accomplishments of the Ministry in its core mandates.
Apart from the construction of 185 solar-powered water projects and 370 public sanitation facilities across the states of the federation, the Ministry engaged 77,400 youth volunteers for Hand Washing and ODF campaigns, which also created awareness on open defecation in Nigeria, across all the 774 local government areas of the country.
With the revitalisation of the River Basin Development Authorities to deliver on their obligations to Nigeria, the Songhai model of integrated agricultural practice was introduced by the Ministry to boost agricultural production and achieve integrated rural development. In this regard, 253 farmlands have been leased to the private sector for commercial farming, out of which 182 are fully utilised presently.
Currently, there are a total of 250 medium- and large-sized dams in the country, with a combined storage capacity of about 30 billion cubic metres, of water, which is more than the projected future demand of Nigeria by the year 2030. Some of the inherited and now completed dam projects include the Kashimbilla Multipurpose dam in Taraba State; Ogwashi-uku Multipurpose Dam in Delta State; Adada Dam in Enugu State; Sulma Earth Dam in Katsina State; Amla-Otukpo Dam in Benue State, alongside four others dams, and the rehabilitated Kampi Omi Dam in Kogi State.
In addition to the above, at least about 42 small dams have been constructed across the nation by the River Basin Development Authorities, while six of the dams are currently being utilised to support aquaculture farms.
In the energy sector too, the Ministry of Water Resources has also pursued the goal of ensuring the completion of inherited hydropower projects. So far, these include the Gurara One 30MW power plant in Kaduna State; the Kashimbila 40MW project in Taraba State; and the Daduin Kowa 40MW power project in Gombe State, which have all been completed and are ready for concessioning, while the contract for the Farin-Ruwa 20MW hydropower project in Nasarawa has been awarded. There are two other power projects that would generate a combined 1,750MWs of electricity in Lokoja, Kogi State and Makurdi in Benue State, which are currently being planned for development on Build, Operate and Transfer (BOT) arrangements.
In similar vein, the Ministry is implementing an ambitious irrigation programme to boost agriculture production and support the nation’s quest for food security. Under the scheme, a 130,000 hectarage of irrigation has been developed, while another 55,000 hectarage has been leased to commercial farmers. Some of the completed irrigation projects include the Mamu Awka Drainage and Land Reclamation scheme in Anambra State; the Sabke Irrigation system in Katsina State; the Gari Irrigation schemes in Kano and Katsina States, coupled with the Rima Valley Irrigation project in Sokoto State, the Middle Ogun River Irrigation scheme in Oyo State and the Azare-Jere Irrigation project in Kaduna State.
Likewise, the Ministry of Water Resources has constructed 340 rural water supply schemes in the North-East, in IDP camps and some federal institutions and establishments. Through the implementation of the Partnership for Expanded Water Sanitation and Hygiene (PEWASH) programmes, the Ministry constructed 3,372 rural water supply schemes in 19 states of the federation for the benefit of 5,262,189 people.
I am just been a bit concerned that even though all the states flagged off the WASH and Clean Nigeria campaigns, surprisingly only 83 out of the 774 local government areas are now Open Defecation Free in the country! Nevertheless, the water projects executed by the Ministry will go a long way in reducing dependency on the erstwhile largely rain-fed agricultural sector, thereby boosting food production, addressing rural poverty through progressive management transfers and, to some extent, curbing youth restiveness due to joblessness.
As the longest-serving Minister of Water Resources since 2015, I wish to reiterate the fact that Engineer Suleiman deserves to be commended for not abandoning old projects within his sphere of influence while initiating and implementing new ones geared toward economic diversification, job creation, and strengthening the quality of productivity by enhancing market access services for farmers. This certainly appears to be the secret to his longevity on the job – as we say: Why fix it when it is performing so well?
Convener of Concerned Nigerians Group, Deji Adeyanju, has said that the opposition frontliners in the 2023 presidential election, Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP); Peter Obi of Labour Party (LP) and Rabiu Musa Kwankwanso of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), need to form an alliance to be able to defeat the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Adeyanju said that it is sad that ‘big ideas’ don’t win elections in Africa, saying that for the opposition to take power from the APC, they must form an alliance.
He said that he has monitored over 39 elections in Nigeria and outside the country, insisting that ‘big ideas’ don’t win elections in this clime except ‘stomach infrastructure’.
Speaking on LEADERSHIPTwitterSpaces @LeadershipNGA at the weekend, Adeyanju noted that even though the presidential candidates have been meeting secretly and openly, they were unserious about taking over power in 2023.
“They have been meeting secretly and openly. They are completely unserious political parties heading for a defeat,” Adeyanju said of the PDP, LP and the NNPP.
“Big ideas don’t win elections in Africa. What wins elections in this part of the world is tribe, ethnicity, religion, rigging, vote buying, stomach infrastructure. What the opposition are doing now will not help them. Wike may not work for Atiku if he is not sure he will win.
“No politicians want to be identified with failure. Peter Obi is good but it is not possible for Atiku to step down for him. So, they must unite. It is common sense.
“We know the states where these candidates will win. When the results start coming from the KKK states, there will be throttling. Atiku, Obi, Kwankwanso must form a force. They should put somebody forward. Kwankwaso is already working for Tinubu because he does not want Atiku to emerge,” Adeyanju claimed.
Also speaking, the chairman of Emohua local government area of Rivers State, Hon. Chidi Lloyd, accused the Atiku camp of already boasting as if they have won the election.
“We can’t afford to go to this election with a divided house. The Atiku people are already talking as if they have won the election already,” Llyod said.
On his part, a member of the PDP in Kaduna State, Danjuma Bello Sarki, said he was confident that the PDP will win the 2023 presidential election.
According to Sarki, Nigerians can’t afford to allow the ruling APC to continue in 2023.
“Atiku is reaching out and by the grace of God, PDP will win because Nigerians can’t afford to allow the APC to continue,” Danjuma said.
A speaker, Charles Ideho, who said Atiku made a mistake in picking Governor Ifeanyi Okowa as a running mate, added that the Delta State governor doesn’t have the political muscle to produce votes from the South as expected.
Emir of Zurmi in Zamfara State, Atiku Abubakar Muhammad, who was recently dismissed for allegedly aiding bandits in his domain, has been reported dead.
Reports available to us in Greenbareg Reporters online newspaper said that Atiku, who had suffered an undisclosed illness, died at a private hospital in Abu Dhabi in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates.
A family member, Sani Zurmi, confirmed the development today, August 28. He said that the remains of the deceased is yet to be brought to Nigeria for burial.
“His remains are still in Dubai due to non-availability of plight to bring the deceased back home for burial,” Zurmi was quoted as saying.
Recall that the Governor of Zamfara State, Bello Matawalle had in June 2021, suspended Atiku from being the Emir of Zurmi over his alleged involvement with bandits‘ activities in the kingdom.
Matawalle ordered the formation of a strong commission to investigate allegations that the suspended king was involved in the escalation of banditry activities in his area.
A statement issued by the acting secretary to the governor, Kabiru Balarabe, had revealed that the commission of inquiry into the suspended Emir of Zurmi would consist of eight members, headed by the state deputy governor, Ibrahim Wakkala, and would submit its report within three weeks.
Atiku was subsequently dethroned alongside the Emir of Dansadau, Husaini Umar for allegedly aiding banditry in their respective emirates.
Former President of Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo has made it clear that he is not supporting any of the Presidential candidates as the nation marches towards the 2023 general elections.
Speaking to news men today, August 28, Obasanjo, who had held meetings at different times with the Presidential candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, that of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, that of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, said that what he is doing is a national agenda.
Obasanjo who was in Minna, Niger State to visit the former Nigerian military Head of State, retired General Abdulsalami Abubakar, said: “I don’t have a special candidate, I have a national agenda.
“I have come to see my brother who was a bit indisposed and when he was abroad I had wanted to visit him, and the day I arrived in London to visit him was the day he left.
“So I said, well since I could not see him in London, I will come to see him in Nigeria. And so, that is what I have come to do.
“He is special in a way and he was indisposed, so I had to come and see him. If there is anybody again who is special and indisposed that I have to see, I will see him. I am still strong enough.”
The duo earlier had a closed door meeting which lasted for 30 minutes.
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has articulated his personal commitment to the virtues of integrity, transparency and social justice which he said are also virtues exhorted in the different faiths and religions in the country. “For me, spirituality connotes values. I came into government with values about what I think is important, especially around transparency, social justice and justice, among others. You are almost always a product of the values you believe in. Fortunately, a lot of these values cut across the different faiths; they are not necessarily restricted to a religion or one faith. “In societies that are more developed institutionally, you don’t need to be told that you shouldn’t do certain things because you could end up in jail if you do and there is a good likelihood that you could be detected and the process will go through and you will be punished. “I speak about corruption and all that. But where the institutions are weak, some people have reasons for not doing the right thing.”
Professor Osinbajo, who addressed a group of Harvard Business School students who visited him on Friday, August 26, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, said that international community can only appreciate the enormity and complexity of some of Nigeria’s challenges if they first understanding the size of the country. “First, there is a need to appreciate the size of the country, which is crucial to understanding what the issues are. “For instance, Borno State is about the size of the whole of the United Kingdom plus Sweden or Denmark. So, when it is reported that there is violence in Nigeria, it is probably an incident in one remote area of the country, and many people in Abuja and Lagos may hear about it on social media; such is the size of this country. “When they talk about economy, we are often compared with smaller African countries, but there are 10 states in Nigeria that have bigger GDPs than those countries, it is a huge target market.” On some inaccurate characterization of Nigeria in sections of the international community, the Vice President said: “it is important to constantly engage the international community to show them how we feel about the stereotypes. It comes down to the work we do as government and people about the characterization. “This is why some of the work around the Ease of Doing Business etc. are all initiatives that have behind them, the whole idea that this environment is one that is welcoming to business and people can come and do business.” The students numbered about a dozen and are currently on an African excursion. They asked questions about leadership, faith, spirituality, government policies in education, health, economy, and national image, among others.
Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Professor Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami is excited by the contribution of the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector to Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the second quarter of 2022 (Q2 2022).
The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) broke the news yesterday, August 26, in the ‘Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product Report’ for Q2 2022.
According to the NBS report, Digital Economy sector under Professor Pantami, continued its trend of playing a key part in the growth on Nigeria’s economy.
The Report by the NBS indicated that the ICT sector contributed 18.44% to the total real GDP in Q2 2022. This is the highest contribution of ICT to the GDP which is said to be unprecedented and marks the third time that the sector has achieved such contribution to Nigeria’s GDP. Others were in Q1 2020, Q2 2021 and now Q2 2022.
The oil sector contributed 6.33% to the total real GDP in Q2 2022, which was lower that the contribution in Q2 ‘2021 and Q1 ‘2022, where it contributed 7.42% and 6.63% respectively. The non-oil sector’s contribution grew by 4.77% in real terms, resulting in a 93.67% contribution to the nation’s GDP in the Q2 ‘2022, higher than Q2 ‘2021 and Q2 ‘2022, where it contributed 92.58% and 93.37% respectively.
Minister Pantami said that the growing contribution of the ICT sector to the GDP is as a result of the commitment of the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari to the development of the digital economy.
He added that the diligent implementation of the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS) for a Digital Nigeria, stakeholder engagement and creation of an enabling environment have all played an important role in this achievement.
“The support of President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, has contributed immensely to the impressive developments in the sector. The unprecedented contribution of ICT to Nigeria’s GDP can also be attributed to the dynamic and results-oriented leadership of the sector. The GDP Report has shown how critical the ICT sector is to the growth of our country’s digital economy and, by extension, the general economy.”
The Minister congratulateed all stakeholders in the digital economy ecosystem for this news even as he renewed his call to all sectors to take advantage of the Federal Government’s new focus on the digital economy to enable and improve their processes through the use of ICTs.
“This would enhance the output of all the sectors of the economy and boost Nigeria’s GDP.”
The Presidential flag bearer of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu has said that he was already a millionaire in dollars ten years before he became the Governor of Lagos State.
Reacting to people who questioned the source of his stupendous wealth, Tinubu said that he invested N1.8 million in Apple Corporation shares in 1980, and that he is supposed to be worth more than N10 Trillion today.
“Our Youths are deliberately being misled by those who never saw a million dollars until they got into public office or became banking executives and started stealing.
“A $1,000 daily basic travel allowance of a good business executive in 1990, invested into Apple Corporation shares, is today worth at least $2.5 million dollars.
“Some of us still alive today, received per diem of $1000 per day, locally and abroad in the private sector in the 1990s. I bought my first computer and professional IT Tools, outrightly with such per diem in 1986.
“Call a thief a thief. Let rogues call themselves rogues, without using the collective “we are all rogues.”
Tinubu said that those who imported Tokunbo cars for $5,000 or new cars with $10,000 in 1990 to show off, instead of investing in Apple shares for example, should not assume that all today’s wave-making multi-billionaires in politics and business, are rogues like them.
“Please tell the youths the truth. I, Asiwaju Tinubu, was a millionaire in dollars as a NADECO chief at least 10 years before I became the governor of Lagos State. Let others openly declare the sources of their billions.”
The APC presidential candidate said that the reality today is still that creative and very intelligent youths will still earn allowances in dollars without any need to lie as internet trolls.
“As liars, they will only lose credibility and respect, as they grow older. Let the 2023 Presidential campaigns be on issues and not lies.”
President Muhammadu Buhari has called on the United Nations (UN) and other international agencies to do something on what he called “sea-like” flooding in Pakistan, the worst natural disaster in the country’s history.
In a statement today, August 27, by a presidential spokesman, Garba Shehu, the President narrated that the floods
damaged half-a-million homes, affected about 30 million people and killed above 1,000.
According to the statement, the floods washed away hundreds of roads, bridges and other infrastructure.
President Buhari, who expressed sympathy to the people of Pakistan over “this humanitarian disaster of epic proportions” appeal to the United Nations and other Aid Agencies to take urgent steps to assist people without shelter and food as well as the millions who require urgent humanitarian relief.
President Muhammadu Buhari is happy to recall the football exploits of the former captain of the Super Eagles, Segun Odegbami who is celebrating his 70th birthday.
In a statement today, August 27, by a presidential spokesman, Femi Adesina, the President recalled Odegbami’s “dazzling skills and accuracy in scoring (goals) for which he was nicknamed ‘Mathematical Odegbami.'”
He described Odegbami as Nigeria’s iconic football star, sports administrator and broadcaster.
President Buhari savoured Odegbami’s distinguished career in sports, with eight years as a national team player, 1974-1982, earning the respect of team players and fans, at home and across Africa
He said that the versatility of the former skipper of the Green Eagles, who also served as adviser to the technical crew of national teams, inspired many athletes to stardom and positioned himself for successes in writing, publishing, acting, broadcasting and farming.
President Buhari said that Odegbami, who now joins the group of Septuagenarian, is blessed with gargantuan experience, leadership skills and network of friends across many fields and places, that are relevant for growing the country.
President Buhari prayed for longer life, good health and prosperity for Chief Odegbami and his family.
A population consultant and former chairman of Joint Task Force on Census, Alhaji Tanimu Abdulsalam has complained that the National Population Commission (NPC) has consistently refused to obey the ruling of the Census Tribunal since 2013 over the 2006 Kogi Central population figures. Alhaji Tanimu, who spoke today, August 27 in Okene, Kogi State, at a one-day stakeholders’ engagement organised by De Noble Club 10 Kogi Central on the next year’s census, recalled that after the 2006 census results were released, some concerned indigenes of the Kogi central senatorial zone, filed petition at the Census Tribunal in Abuja because of the dissatisfaction with the outcome. The file numbers are CTC/KG/02/17 and CTC/KG/02/02. “It will interest you to note that Census Tribunal ruled in 2013 in favour of Okene and Ajaokuta Local Government Areas and the Census figures for Okene and Ajaokuta were declared null and void.”
He said that at the end of the proceedings, the Tribunal ruled on, and ordered that a fresh census should be conducted in the two local government areas. ” Up to now, National Population Commission (NPC) has not obeyed the Census Tribunal’s Judgment. “It is pertinent to know that it is not too late to push for the National Population Commission to execute the Tribunal order or it could adopt the use of the International Population Growth Rate to upgrade the population figures for Kogi Central, particularly Okene and Ajaokuta Local Government Areas.”
Ohinoyi of Ebiraland, Dr Ado Ibrahim
This was even as the Ohinoyi of Ebiraland, Dr. Ado Ibrahim called on his subjects to re-enact, in 2023, the excitement they always display during census exercise from time immemorial. Dr. Ado Ibrahim, represented by a Senior title holder as Palace Administrator and Asema of Ezuka, Dr. Momoh Sani, recalled how Ebira people left their far and near farm areas to fully participate in the 1964 national census. The Ohinoyi called on all the traditional rulers in Ebiraland to mobilize the people in their domains to come out en-mass to be counted in the next year’s census. ” We should all get fully involved to prepare a better ground for the future generations to reap good fruits.” De Noble Club 10 Kogi Central, organized the interactive session to ginger up stakeholders, including traditional rulers, other Non-Governmental Organizations, local musicians and others, towards mobilizing Ebira people for the next year’s census in the country. The chairmen of the organizing committee, Engineer Shuaibu O. Salami confirmed that the attendance was remarkable, but regretted that despite the invitation extended to chairmen of the five local government areas in the Kogi Central senatorial zone, none showed up.
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Emir of Zurmi in Zamfara State, Atiku Abubakar Muhammad, who was recently dismissed for allegedly aiding bandits in his domain, has been reported dead.
Untold Stories Of Nigeria’s Water Sector, By Yushau A. Shuaib
I didn’t realise how much Nigeria’s water sector has been grossly under-reported until I attended a media briefing, addressed by the Minister of Water Resources, Engineer Suleiman H. Adamu in Abuja recently.
Mrs Kenechukwu Offie, a fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) and the Director of Public Relations in the Ministry, had made several efforts to stoke my interest in the water sector for possible media coverage in our Economic Confidential or PRNigeria platforms.
I had worked closely with Mrs Offie, my senior while I was in the public service and after my retirement a decade ago. I always wondered what was so exciting for her about the Ministry of Water Resources, particularly after she had served in a number of ‘juicy’ positions in the State House, Aso Rock, Abuja; the Office of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), during the tenure of Mrs Amina Mohammed (now Deputy Secretary General of United Nations); and the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation, among others.
Therefore, last Thursday, she invited me again to attend a press brief, where some milestones in the water sector under President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration were to be revealed with facts and figures, I finally decided to honour her requests.
She had early told me that the Minister was a pragmatic leader who deliberately refused to abandon inherited projects, as he essentially regards government as a continuum for which the public good is paramount and the overriding consideration, not personalities. With this crucial mindset, Engineer Adamu has not only improved on ongoing programmes within his remit, but has more so ensured the completion of most of the old projects he inherited on coming into office.
At the briefing, the Minister proudly emphasised his strong conviction on how it was a vital professional imperative for him to make sure he completes all inherited projects before engaging in newer ones. This is a highly unusually and largely commendable attitude to enhancing the Nigerian commonwealth and infrastructure for the greater good, particularly in an environment in which many are prone to the individualism – if not selfishness – of executing only projects that they are architects of, and which serves interests with which they are identified, without much contemplation of what is really of enduring benefit to the public.
As such, the entire country almost feels like a dumpsite of uncompleted, and even overlapping, projects that have been some of the biggest sources of wastage of the national commonwealth, very unfortunately.
Engineer Suleiman pointed out that being one of the key sectors that drive the agenda for national food security and human capital development, the Ministry of Water Resources’ core mandates are to improve the supply of potable water in the country, the improvement of irrigation systems to bolster what could otherwise be low-yield rain-fed agriculture, and the development of Nigeria’s hydro-power infrastructure.
Beyond the controversy over the Water Bill that was criticised by politicians and sections of the media, I was amazed by the accomplishments of the Ministry in its core mandates.
Apart from the construction of 185 solar-powered water projects and 370 public sanitation facilities across the states of the federation, the Ministry engaged 77,400 youth volunteers for Hand Washing and ODF campaigns, which also created awareness on open defecation in Nigeria, across all the 774 local government areas of the country.
With the revitalisation of the River Basin Development Authorities to deliver on their obligations to Nigeria, the Songhai model of integrated agricultural practice was introduced by the Ministry to boost agricultural production and achieve integrated rural development. In this regard, 253 farmlands have been leased to the private sector for commercial farming, out of which 182 are fully utilised presently.
Currently, there are a total of 250 medium- and large-sized dams in the country, with a combined storage capacity of about 30 billion cubic metres, of water, which is more than the projected future demand of Nigeria by the year 2030. Some of the inherited and now completed dam projects include the Kashimbilla Multipurpose dam in Taraba State; Ogwashi-uku Multipurpose Dam in Delta State; Adada Dam in Enugu State; Sulma Earth Dam in Katsina State; Amla-Otukpo Dam in Benue State, alongside four others dams, and the rehabilitated Kampi Omi Dam in Kogi State.
In addition to the above, at least about 42 small dams have been constructed across the nation by the River Basin Development Authorities, while six of the dams are currently being utilised to support aquaculture farms.
In the energy sector too, the Ministry of Water Resources has also pursued the goal of ensuring the completion of inherited hydropower projects. So far, these include the Gurara One 30MW power plant in Kaduna State; the Kashimbila 40MW project in Taraba State; and the Daduin Kowa 40MW power project in Gombe State, which have all been completed and are ready for concessioning, while the contract for the Farin-Ruwa 20MW hydropower project in Nasarawa has been awarded. There are two other power projects that would generate a combined 1,750MWs of electricity in Lokoja, Kogi State and Makurdi in Benue State, which are currently being planned for development on Build, Operate and Transfer (BOT) arrangements.
In similar vein, the Ministry is implementing an ambitious irrigation programme to boost agriculture production and support the nation’s quest for food security. Under the scheme, a 130,000 hectarage of irrigation has been developed, while another 55,000 hectarage has been leased to commercial farmers. Some of the completed irrigation projects include the Mamu Awka Drainage and Land Reclamation scheme in Anambra State; the Sabke Irrigation system in Katsina State; the Gari Irrigation schemes in Kano and Katsina States, coupled with the Rima Valley Irrigation project in Sokoto State, the Middle Ogun River Irrigation scheme in Oyo State and the Azare-Jere Irrigation project in Kaduna State.
Likewise, the Ministry of Water Resources has constructed 340 rural water supply schemes in the North-East, in IDP camps and some federal institutions and establishments. Through the implementation of the Partnership for Expanded Water Sanitation and Hygiene (PEWASH) programmes, the Ministry constructed 3,372 rural water supply schemes in 19 states of the federation for the benefit of 5,262,189 people.
I am just been a bit concerned that even though all the states flagged off the WASH and Clean Nigeria campaigns, surprisingly only 83 out of the 774 local government areas are now Open Defecation Free in the country! Nevertheless, the water projects executed by the Ministry will go a long way in reducing dependency on the erstwhile largely rain-fed agricultural sector, thereby boosting food production, addressing rural poverty through progressive management transfers and, to some extent, curbing youth restiveness due to joblessness.
As the longest-serving Minister of Water Resources since 2015, I wish to reiterate the fact that Engineer Suleiman deserves to be commended for not abandoning old projects within his sphere of influence while initiating and implementing new ones geared toward economic diversification, job creation, and strengthening the quality of productivity by enhancing market access services for farmers. This certainly appears to be the secret to his longevity on the job – as we say: Why fix it when it is performing so well?
Yushau A. Shuaib
Editor-in-Chief Economic Confidential and blog
www.YASHuaib.com