Yemisi Izuora
President Muhammadu Buhari says Nigeria’s agricultural revolution is real and on course as Federal Government’s economic diversification and inclusive growth programmes are yielding positive results, particularly in key food-producing states.
The president stated this in Auyo, Jigawa State, at an event to mark the commencement of the rehabilitation and expansion of the 6,000-hectare Hadejia Valley irrigation project, on Monday.
President Buhari assured Nigerians that his administration would sustain the positive momentum in the sector by implementing the right policies and providing the needed financial resources for people-oriented projects.
The President, who is in Jigawa for a two-day working visit, expressed delight that the APC-led administration’s economic diversification and inclusive growth programmes were yielding positive results.
The President applauded the World Bank’s assistance to the project, which when completed would increase water availability for all-season farming in the State and beyond.
Also speaking, the Minister of Water Resources, Alhaji Suleiman Adamu explained that works on the Phase One of the project, which started in the early eighties during the administration of President Shehu Shagari and received some funding under the Petroleum Special Trust Fund, had suffered frequent abandonment due to lack of funds.
Adamu said with N9.6 billion allocated under the 495 million dollars World Bank-assisted Transforming Irrigation Management in Nigeria (TRIMING) project in five different irrigation locations in Nigeria, the project would be completed by 2021.
‘‘By the time the project is finished in three years, there would be about 6,000 hectares of farmland.
“The Jigawa State Government also plans to key into the project that will benefit over 25,000 farmers,’’ the Minister said.
In Jigawa, the President inaugurated the 42-kilometre Tasheguwa-Guri Road and the 32-kilometre Abunabo-Kadira-Guri road constructed by the State government to facilitate easier movement and evacuation of farm produce.
President Buhari also inaugurated the 250,000 solar- powered water supply scheme.
The project is one out of nine of such projects which will add nine million litres to daily water supply in Dutse and environs.