The Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Prof. Joseph Utsev, has called on relevant state governments to provide irrigable land for the 12 river basins across the country for irrigated farming.
Utsev made the call in Minna when he paid a courtesy visit to the Niger State Governor, Umaru Bago, after a familiarisation visit to the Upper Niger River Basin Development Authority located in the state.
The minister said President Bola Tinubu had given the ministry a marching order to boost food production to ensure that food was available for local consumption and for export.
“As part of the `Renewed Hope’ agenda of President Tinubu, all hands must be on deck to ensure maximum food security; therefore, it is not going to be business as usual.
“We are not relenting to ensure that the state-of-emergency placed on food production achieved results in line with the President’s agenda and we are leaving no stone unturned,’’ Utsev stressed.
He said he had set and given targets to managing directors of river basins to key into the agenda by engaging in wet and dry season farming.
The minister told the governor that as part of its target, UNRBDA would supervise the rehabilitation of Bedeggi irrigation scheme, Suleja and Bida waterworks and the construction of boreholes in the state.
He pledged more collaboration with the state government and said UNRBDA had a dam capable of supplying water to Agaie and Lapai towns.
It also has dams in Gbako and Egbea Gaba towns that could be used for irrigation and for water supply, Utsev said.
The Niger State Deputy Governor, Mallam Yakubu Garba, who received the minister and his entourage on behalf of the governor, said the four dams in Niger were not adequately utilised.
He said only 30 per cent of the dams were used for power generation.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the minister, who was accompanied by the Managing Director of UNRBDA, Prof. Muhammad Ali, on the visit, inaugurated the Rafin-Yashin Road and the Rafin-Yashin irrigation scheme.
Utsev also inaugurated a concrete reservoir to supply water to the Rafin-Yashin irrigation scheme and Songhai Farm and inspected facilities and equipment either built or bought by UNRBDA.
