WorldStage– The Federal Government of Nigeri has said that the N95 billion Kano dam upgrade project is designed to improve safety and management, accelerate agricultural production and enhance food security in the country.
The federal government in 2024 has set up an inter-ministerial committee to evaluate about 35 dams across Nigeria to improve safety and management.
Mr Abdulaziz Abdulaziz, Senior Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu, on Media and Public Enlightenment, said this on Tuesday during a media inspection tour of the ongoing work at the Chalawa Goje Dam in Karaye Local Government Area of Kano State.
He said the federal government has awarded a N95 billion contract for the expansion and rehabilitation of Challawa Goje, Tiga and Kafinciri Dams in Kano State, under a special intervention project through the ecological field office,
Abdulaziz said that the expansion and rehabilitation works when completed would boost food security in the country.
He said the initiative would actualise Tinubu’s dream to make Nigeria a food secure nation and exporter.
The presidential aide noted that work at the Challawa Gorje Dam has reached about 40 per cent progress.
“We are here at Chalawa Gorge Dam in Kano State, which is one of the three sites of the ongoing federal government’s special intervention project under the ecological field office, which is being supervised or managed by the Hadejia Jama’are River Basin Development Authority (HJRBDA).
“This is one of the three sites, the other two being Kano Irrigation Project in Tiga dam, and Kafinciri Dam in Garko LGA.
“Collectively, these three projects are going to provide around 5,000 or more hectares of irrigable lands. And already work is progressing very well on all the sites.
“At this site, we have nearly 40 per cent progress. Already pavements have been cleared. We’ve seen how they are preparing the places to provide for the canals, where the water will be pumped into the canals, spanning 2.5 kilometers to provide water to the farmers,” he said.
According to Abdulaziz, the projects will improve on Tinubu’s agenda of making Nigeria a food sustainable nation, to provide food for the people and export surplus.
He expressed optimism that the projects would soon be put to use to benefit hundreds of thousands of farmers.
Abdulaziz highlighted that about 5,000 hectres of land would be developed under the scheme, adding that each hectre of land was expected to be cultivated by 20 farmers.
“And in terms of yields and produce, each hectare is also going to contribute to our desire for food security and provision of jobs for the unemployed and rural population,” he said.
Alhaji Musa Kwankwaso, Executive Director, HJRBDA, said the Challawa Goje Dam was constructed in the last 30 years.
He said that the dam was designed for irrigation schemes, hydro-power generation and water supply for industrial and domestic purposes.
Also, Ibrahim Muhammad, the contract engineer, said that work has reached about 30 per cent progress at the irrigation site of the project.
He said that about 240 hectares of irrigable lands had been cleared, and work on the 2.5km main canal corridor subgrade completed.
On the hydro-power component of the project, Ado Doguwa, Managing Director, Kano Hydro & Energy Development Company, said that the Chalawa 2/3-Megawatt hydro power plant was designed to generate 6-Megawatt of electricity.
He said that work on the project has reached an advanced stage, and expected to be commissioned within two months.
The media team also inspected the ongoing construction of the Sustainable and Emerging Technologies Institute (SETI), at the Bayero University, Kano (BUK).The project is being implemented by the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI)
