IDRIS AHMED, Lokoja.
To ensure massive food production and power generation, Kogi State Government has concluded arrangement to effectively utilize the da across the state for irrigation farming
Kogi State Commissioner for Water resources, Yahaya Danladi Farouk, disclosed on Monday while inspecting the facilities at Omi Kampe dam, a world bank supported project, Sustainable Power Irrigation in Nigeria, (SPIN).
He explained that the SPIN project is aimed at utilizing the dam for farming and Omi Kampe dam has satisfied the world bank criteria.
“This dam is a federal government concern under the Lower Niger Basin Development Authority, designed purposely for irrigation,which Governor Ododo promised to effectively utilize to boost agriculture and food security as one of the priority of his administration.
“The project aims at expanding arable land around the dam itself, while the second component of the project is the power generation which to a large extent was certified after meeting the criteria of the world bank. It is not just this dam alone, others are coming in because it is in stages.
“It covers all the dams owned and operated by both the Federal and State Governments. Omi Kampe Dam has satisfied that criteria. We are also working on others in the East and Central Senatorial Districts of Kogi State.”
The Commissioner, who hoped that the project commences in the first quarter of 2025 said “what we are doing here is the base line data collection for the commencement of the project in which Kogi State under Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo is almost at 90 percent.
“The State Government is fully committed to pay the counterpart fund which is above N700 million because we have more of the dams in the State to cater for. We have model one and model two. This is under model one.
“We evaluated up to seven dams, both small and bigger dams in the state, but for now, following the selection criteria, the Omi Kampe dam is 100 percent ready which will serve as a gate way for us to enter, Our next move is Kogi East and Central to meet the criteria of the world bank on the SPIN project, which I believe Governor Ododo is not resting on his oars.
“The government is targeting a minimum of 500 hectares of land to be cultivated. The situation here, is that they have 3500 to be cultivated but they are currently cultivating below 1000, as the project is coming to increase minimum of 500 hectares and possibly beyond.
The Commissioner stated that any farmer cultivating two hectares of farm land should be ready to cultivate four or five, because water will be made available through out the year, while the fallow arable land will be engaged by new irrigation farmers coming to join them. after acquiring the land legitimately from their owners. The water is there free.”
Farouk, therefore called on private investors across the country to come and harness the great potentials of the dams across Kogi State.
The Commissioner, who was accompanied during the tour by officials from the Kogi State ministry of agriculture, also inspected the dam’s spill way, and the 250meter embarkment of the dam.
On his part, a fellow of the Nigeria Institute of Water Engineers Garba Bello,said that the project is about 15 kilometer adding that 3.5kilometer has concrete lining and 12.5 kilometer without concrete lining.
“The dam discharges water into the canal by gravity. For it to achieve this purpose, it will need concrete lining. The concrete will flow in that direction in different levels. We only concreted 3.5 kilometer. Definitely, the other side will be silted.
“This side that is concreted is already sloped and the water is coming with gravitational force from the dam and moving to settle at the other end. So, they have to desilt the end. Am not preempting the component of the projects when it comes, but I believe these are some of the areas that would be looked into,” he added.
In their separate remarks, some farmers in the community who identified themselves as Olatokunbo Okunlaja and Onilede Opeyemi both identified water distribution as one of the challenges farmers are facing in growing their crops.
“We are also facing dry spell because the Dam could not serve the people farming in some areas.
When water is available, we can farm through out the season.
” Where we are farming, the canal is not reaching there. The first three Kilometer that is been lined is just a channels to the rest area. The rest that has not been lined are the main area in which we do farm. When there is enough water, we can farm rice thrice or four times per annum.
“We are very delighted to have the presence of government and farmers in this community. We are optimistic to see the commencement of this project to boost food production in Kogi State,” they said.
