By Stella Odueme
The Minister of State for Water Resources and Sanitation, Rt. Hon. Bello Muhammad Goronyo has reaffirmed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s commitment to boost food production across the country through the development of dams and irrigation projects to ensure food security across Nigeria.
The Minister of State made this declaration during his visit to the Goronyo Dam and Middle Rima Valley Irrigation Project (MRVIP) in Sokoto.
A statement made available to The Authority by the Director, Information and Public Relations, Mrs. Funmi Imuetinyan on Friday said that the Minister was accompanied by key officials of Sokoto Rima River Basin Development Authority (SRRBDA), and representatives from SCC TRIMING, Sinohydro, and Gilmor Engineering.
He highlighted that the stability and functionality of the dams are crucial to achieving agricultural objectives by making the well-being of the dam a primary concern.
He said that the contractors should complete the work they have signed for, to reflect government’s stance on accountability and project completion.
The Minister of State assured that more funds will be provided to ensure timely project completion.
The project coordinator, Shuaibu Isa, recalled that the visit marks the fourth of its kind in recent times, emphasizing the Federal Government’s commitment to ongoing projects and to assessing the progress of works at the two project sites.
He further briefed that Sinohydro is currently executing the dam rehabilitation, river training, and construction of dykes for the TRIMING project, while Gilmor Engineering is executing Phase II of the MRVIP for the Federal Ministry of Water Resources.
He added that the Dam Rehabilitation Project is addressing several critical tasks, including gate misclosure on the Rima Main Canal (RMC) intake, provision of solar power at the dam headworks, pumping station, and quarters, raising the Keta old dyke, and defining the collection drain between the Keta new dyke and BK 6.7.
Other tasks highlighted included reinstating the removed outlet structure in BK 6.6 & 6.7, protecting the rehabilitated Takakume protection dyke, and extending the dyke to protect Takakume village.
Regarding Irrigation Fields Development, the Minister of State was briefed by the Project Coordinator on the progress and methodologies adopted by Gilmor Engineering for the irrigation fields’ development.
Mr. Hu, representing Sinohydro, assured that their priority is to resolve the gate misclosure issue with the necessary technique, manpower, and materials.
He emphasized the need for support and cooperation from SRRBDA and project management staff, which was affirmed by the Executive Director of Agric Services, who represented the Managing Director.
