Kano govt invests N4.5bn in irrigation, to provide 250,000 job opportunities

The Kano State government, in its determination to promote self-reliance, has invested over N4.5 billion in the expansion of the Watari Irrigation Scheme, aimed at providing 250,000 job opportunities through farming activities.

The project manager of the Watari Irrigation Scheme, Alhaji Mohammed Tijjani Adamu, made this known to the press on Monday during a sightseeing round of the ongoing project. He added that over 500 hectares of land would be added to the existing irrigation lands.

He further emphasised that, apart from providing 250,000 job opportunities for farmers, no fewer than ten states in the country would also directly or indirectly benefit from the irrigation scheme, which is expected to be completed by the end of this year.

According to him, the dam currently generates 700,000 cubic meters of water for irrigation. However, when completed by the end of December, it will generate over 10 million cubic meters of water.

He also disclosed that the state government would spend a sum of N314 million on various rehabilitations to be carried out across the affected lands, especially on the provision of access road networks and other needed facilities to assist farmers.

He noted that the state government embarked on the program in collaboration with the Agricultural Transformation Agenda to enhance irrigation activities in the affected communities.

Regarding compensation for the 500 hectares of land, Alhaji Adamu said no compensation would be paid, as the lands belong to farmers. The government is simply assisting them by providing conducive conditions to enhance their farming activities.

He added that this move would increase farmers’ output, reduce the prices of their products, and enhance the availability of foodstuffs in the state and the country in general.

In a related development, Comrade Adamu Aliyu, while speaking with journalists about the ongoing project at Magaga Dam, stated that the state government embarked on the project to improve the lives of farmers through the use of technology in farming activities.

According to him, technology-driven farming, which uses the drilling nursery farming method, is designed to minimise shed wastage and reduce unnecessary expenses associated with traditional farming methods.

He emphasised that this technology would provide job opportunities for over 4,000 farmers in the affected communities using modern farming methods.

Comrade Aliyu added that the project is jointly sponsored by the Sasakawa Kano State Agro-Pastoral Development Project (KSADP) and the Kano State government, with the goal of assisting farmers.

 

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