Rima Basin Hails Jonathan’s Transformation Agenda

Sokoto Rima River Basin Development Authority said on Tuesday that President Goodluck Jonathan’s Transformation Agenda had impacted positively on the basin’s activities

Sokoto Rima River Basin Development Authority said on Tuesday that President Goodluck Jonathan’s Transformation Agenda had impacted positively on the basin’s activities.

The authority’s Executive Director, Engineering, Alhaji Salisu Dandume, stated this in an interview with newsmen in Sokoto.

Dandume said the food security and rural infrastructure development programmes of the government had attracted more livestock settlements and promoted tourism in the area.

“The achievements are very great, there are many sectors, water supply sector and in the irrigated agriculture.

“This year, we improved the cultivated area up to about 15,000 hectares which is very good when compared to the previous year.

“This is sequel to the rehabilitation works that were made in the irrigation areas. “In the water supply, many villages were supplied with boreholes which will go a long in improving their health; which has given their children more time to go to school rather than of going to fetch water.

“So you can see that there is a lot of areas of development in water supply and irrigated agriculture.’’

The Director listed major projects under the river basin to include the rehabilitation of the Goronyo Dam which is a key structure for the development of water sources for Middle Rima Valley Irrigation Project and the Fadama Irrigation which covered the downstream areas of Sokoto and Kebbi States.

He said the Wurno Irrigation Scheme with 100 hectares of land and promotion of informal irrigation activities for all round agricultural production, had generated employment and increased yields.

Dandume said that apart from the raw water supply from dams in the basin to Sokoto and Kebbi States, a boost in the agricultural activities through irrigation had reduced rural to urban migration during the dry seasons.

He, however, noted that with improved funding, many more targets in the sector could be achieved to alleviate poverty for the population around the basin.

“The challenges are of finances; we may have 1,000 projects to do but in the long run, we may have only 10; the money is not there.

“We are not blaming the government because there are many competing demands in the health sector, in the road sector, in agriculture sector and the water sector; so there are competing demands.

“If only the funding can be improved and the payments made on time, there would be a lot to improve in our activities.’’