Acting President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo has flagged off the $495 million (over N150 billion) rehabilitation of 8,000 hectare Bakolori Irrigation Project, sponsored by the World Bank in Talata-mafara, Zamfara state.
Osinbajo, represented by the minister of water Resources, Engineer Suleiman Adamu at the event on Tuesday, July 18 said the World Bank was intervening in the country's irrigation program, under the Transforming Irrigation Management in Nigeria (TRIMING).
He added that the World Bank had selected five major basin and sub-basin and “they want to improve the irrigation capacities because most of the existing irrigation require rehabilitation.”
Osinbajo commissioning a project during his visit to Zamfara on Tuesday, July 18. Photo credit: Aso Rock
He stated that the World Bank is investing over N150 billion to rehabilitate the existing irrigation systems in Bakolori; Middle Rima in Sokoto; Kano river irrigation project; Hadejia valley irrigation project in Jigawa and Dadinkowa in Gombe.
“It’s not just about irrigation; transforming the way we manage irrigation practice in the country. Its supporting the water user association to farmers, we have some input to how irrigation systems are managed in the country,” he said.
The acting president said that with the trimming if completed will provide an addition of 50,000ha back on stream in the country.
“Here in Bakolori we are rehabilitating 8,000ha of exiting gravity federal irrigation system and another 5,560ha of what use to be sprinkler irrigation. With the energy consideration we have not been able to continue running the sprinkler irrigation system, so it will be converted into gravity feed irrigation system,” he said.
He said, the project will be a milestone for the ministry, adding that “for the past two years we have been planning, we are flagging it off with Bakolori and the next one will be Kano River Irrigation Project were we hope to rehabilitate those 5,000ha and to Haejia Valley which was started over 30 years ago.”
According to the national project coordinator, Engineer Peter Manjuk, “the triming project was an intervention of the federal government of Nigeria through the ministry Of water resources to transform irrigation practice to dry season farming for sustainability of job creation, food sufficiency, and food security to reduce property and increase wealth to the timing farmers in the country.
“The work will be completed as expected in the next three years and half. The project entails a complete overhaul and rehabilitation of existing 8,000ha and the conversion of the abandoned sprinkling irrigation areas gravity systems, which is 5500ha.”
Osinbajo acknowledging cheers from students during his visit to Zamfara state on Tuesday, July 18. Photo credit: Aso Rock
Manjuk stated that by the end of the intervention, 13,500ha will be fully rehabilitated and equipped for successful and sustainable irrigation practice.
On levy for irrigation paid by farmers, he said, “It is outdated for government agencies to go into the farms to collect irrigation fees from farmers. What the farmers need is to be empowered, confident in themselves to be able to manage their affairs and this farmers should be able to gathers their fees and pay for board water supply to have this water when due.”
About the locations of the irrigation project, Manjuk said, “it’s a pilot scheme and is not lopsided, when successfully implemented the project will be replicated all over the nation, this are large schemes of government.”
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