By Faridat Salifu
The Federal Government has announced plans to construct seven dams across the southwestern states to bolster irrigation and support year-round farming.
Dr. Adedeji Ashiru, Managing Director of the Ogun-Osun River Development Authority, who made the announcement, said the decision aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s agenda to enhance food security and control flooding.
He was speaking during the Association for Consulting Engineering in Nigeria’s (ACEN) 46th Annual Conference, Wednesday, November 6 in Lagos.
“These dams are primarily for irrigation, in line with President Tinubu’s agriculture agenda, allowing all-year-round farming to significantly boost food production in the Southwest,” he said.
Ashiru said each of the seven dam sites will include greenhouses, open fields, and storage facilities to support sustainable agriculture.
The decision, the managing director said, follows a year of severe flooding attributed to high rainfall and the effects of climate change which, therefore, necessitates the increase of water management infrastructure in mitigating ecological challenges.
In addition to irrigation, Ashiru said, the government is also focused on energy production, disclosing that plans are underway to concession the hydropower capabilities of the Oyan Dam to private investors, hoping to tap its potential to generate nine megawatts of electricity.
At the conference, themed “Sustainable Development: Building Resilient Cities,” ACEN President, Kem-Selem Bukar, addressed climate change’s pressing impacts, including increased incidents of flooding and building collapses.
Bukar stressed the need for stronger regulatory frameworks to ensure construction quality, as he announced that ten new engineering regulations were recently signed into law to address the frequent issue of building collapses in Nigeria.
Lagos Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, represented by Special Adviser on Works, Adekunle Olagoke, emphasized the state government’s commitment to sustainable urban development.
He encouraged engineers to uphold high ethical standards, embrace cutting-edge technology, and align with government initiatives to build cities resilient to climate challenges.
The conference called for more robust collaboration among engineers, regulatory bodies, and the government to achieve sustainable urban development across Nigeria. ENDS
