River Basin Development Authorities will boost Agric production, Says Minister

Minister of Water Resources, Engr Suleiman Adamu

As a part of efforts of the Federal Government to boost food production across the country, using an all year round farming method, the Minister of Water Resources, Engr Suleiman Adamu during the weekend disclosed that the ministry has revitalized the River Basin Development Authorities (RBDAs) for efficiency, while recounting the achievements of the ministry in the past three and half years,


Adamu said that the mandate of the RBDAs is to  ensure food security, create jobs and achieve integrated rural development.

According to him“The River Basin Development Authorities (RBDAs) have been revitalized to deliver it’s mandate to boost agricultural production through all year farming, ensure food security, create jobs and achieve integrated rural development.

“For the most underutilized land in the river basins, we have invited commercial farmers to take them over; now we have leased over 50,000 hectares of RBDA land all over the country to them.”

While enumerating his achievements in office the Minister said in pursuant of sectorial road map, the National Water Resources Will which is presently at the National Assembly, when passed into law will provide greater farmers participation in irrigation farming.

He explained that the bill will avail farmers more access to irrigation management, provide regulatory framework for private sector participation in water supply delivery, and partnership on urban Water scheme, in the area of operation and maintenance.

He noted that the bill will also promote equitable and affordable access to water and by extension reduce poverty.

Adamu said in line with this, President Muhammadu Buhari on 8th of November launched the National Action Plan for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) and also declared a “State of Emergency on Nigeria’s WASH ”.

The minister noted that “the National WASH Action Plan has primary objective of ensuring that everyone living in Nigeria has access to Sustainable amd safety managed WASH services by 2030, in compliance with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) for water (Goal 6.1) and Sanitation (Goal 6.2)”

He said the implementation of the National Wash Action Plan will also reinforce the vision of the Partnership for Expanded Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (PEWASH) initiative launched in November 2016 and has so far been endorsed by twenty state Governments.

Among the achievements highlighted by Adamu included the completion of about seventeen abandoned water supply, dam irrigation projects located all over the country and planned completion of many more projects.

“We are now deploying most of our resources towards completing and commissioning all high and medium priority projects.” He noted.