WorldStage– In a renewed drive to strengthen food security and expand hydropower generation, the Federal Government has announced plans to rehabilitate existing dams and construct new ones across the country.
The Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Engr. Prof. Joseph Terlumun Utsev, disclosed this during an assessment tour of the Azare-Jere Irrigation Project and the Gurara Multipurpose Dam in Kaduna State. He was accompanied by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Mr. Richard Pheelangwah, and some Technical Directors.
Prof. Utsev said the initiative aligns with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s directive to boost food production through irrigated agriculture, enhance renewable energy capacity, and create jobs for Nigeria’s youth population.
He explained that the tour was to evaluate the current state of the facilities, identify challenges, and determine areas requiring urgent government intervention.
According to him, several multipurpose dams have been earmarked for rehabilitation, while new ones — including those along the Sokoto–Badagry Highway — will be constructed to expand irrigation coverage and increase hydropower supply to the national grid.
The Facility Manager of the Azare-Jere Irrigation Project and the Gurara Multipurpose Dam, Engr. Gazali Tukur Mohammed, highlighted insecurity as a major challenge to smooth operations but assured that the management team remains committed to delivering on its mandate of providing water supply to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Both the Gurara and Azare-Jere projects were developed by the Federal Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation, with some components concessioned to Grams and Abel under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement for effective management and maintenance.
