FG announces partial commercialisation of Dams for agricultural development

Professor Joseph Utsev, the Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, said that the Federal Government intends to partially commercialise the river basins across the country as a way of enhancing food production and boosting the economy. He made this statement during an inspection visit to Tiga Dam, a 50-year-old project by former Kano State Governor and Police Commissioner Audu Baki.

According to the Minister, the purpose of constructing the dam was for irrigation farming, flood control, and energy generation, but it has not been fully utilised.

He also expressed concern over the illegal tapping of the water by some irrigation farmers across the multiple canals of the Tiga Dam.

The Managing Director of the Hadejia Jammaare River Basin, Ma’Amun Dau Aliyu, said that over three million farmers are benefiting from the Tiga Dam while hundreds of others are syphoning the water illegally.

The Minister said that the partial commercialization of the river basins is in line with the global trend of using dams for sustainable irrigation.

However, the Minister also acknowledged the socio-environmental consequences of dams, such as fragmentation of rivers, displacement of people, and loss of biodiversity. He said that the government will ensure that dams are managed in an environmentally friendly manner and that alternative water storage solutions are explored.