Metro

Nigeria to build 7 irrigation dams in its South-West region

Published

2 weeks ago

November 10, 2024

The Nigerian government has finalised plans to build seven dams in the six southwestern states for irrigation, and to improve food production.

Dr. Adedeji Ashiru, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Ogun-Osun River Basin Development Authority, revealed on Wednesday.

To increase the nation’s electricity supply, Ashiru also disclosed that efforts are in progress to concession the Oyan Dam’s hydropower-generating portion.

He said that the dam, which was built in 1979 and has three turbines installed, can produce nine megawatts of power.

Ashiru made this revelation during his speech on “Developing Strategies for Management of Ecological Challenges” during the Association for Consulting Engineering in Nigeria’s 46th Annual Conference and Annual General Meeting, which was held in Lagos.

“Building Resilient Cities: Sustainable Development” was the theme of the annual conference and AGM.

Ashiru emphasised that dams are essential in tackling environmental issues like floods because they assist manage massive water surges that could otherwise spill downstream and cause chaos.

He said that several areas of Abeokuta and the whole Isheri region, among other villages, would have been underwater by now if it weren’t for the vision that resulted in the building of the Oyan Dam in 1979.

Ashiru explained, “We are building seven dams in the Southwest, and the contracts should be awarded between now and Friday. These dams are primarily for irrigation purposes, in line with President Bola Tinubu’s agriculture agenda to enable all-year-round farming and boost food production.

“Each location of these dams will have 12 greenhouses and open fields for farming. We will also have storage houses to store the farm produce.”

Speaking about the country’s high rate of building collapses, he stated that ten regulations had recently been created to address the problem of building collapses across the nation in his capacity as Chairman of the Council for Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria’s Engineering Regulatory, Monitoring and Enforcement Committee.

Bukar said, “In the past, the lack of enacted regulations hindered progress, but with the current leadership of COREN, we now have more than ten regulations that we can work with for a paradigm shift in engineering regulation.”

Related Topics:Featured Irrigation Nigeria

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Metro

Finland-based Nigerians in panic as authorities search for Simon Ekpa’s sponsors

Published

2 hours ago

November 23, 2024

Isaac Dachen

Some Nigerians based in Finland have been thrown into panic mode following the arrest and detention of the self-styled Prime Minister of the Biafra Republic Government in Exile (BRIGE), Simon Ekpa, who was arrested on Thursday by Finnish authorities on terror-related charges.

Ekpa was arrested alongside four other individuals by Finnish authorities on suspicion of terror-related activities, including incitement to violence and financing terrorism.

The dissident had made himself infamous by using the social media to promote violent activities in southeastern Nigeria, including attacks and murder of civilians and security personnel.

According to some Nigerians in European country, following the arrest of the separatist leader and the four individuals suspected to be sponsors of his group known as IPOB-AutoPilots, the police have begun a manhunt for other sponsors, thus creating panic in the Nigerian community and those who may have had dealings with the agitator.

Several sources who spoke to journalists, said Nigerians in the European country are afraid of commenting on the arrest of Ekpa over fear of being attacked.

A Nigerian community leader, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of victimisation, said that the Igbo community in the was gravely affected by the violent acts of the secessionist group.

“Everyone is afraid to speak about Ekpa’s arrest. The key people in Finland and the Igbo community at large are not ready to lend their voices either,” he said.

He added that some persons were being accused of reporting Ekpa to the police and were being threatened.

“A particular person they accused now, they’re after him. This happened before he (Ekpa) was even remanded; what will happen when they imprison him? Everyone is afraid. These people are very deadly.”

Another Nigerian who spoke acknowledged that there was serious tension among Nigerians in the country.

“People don’t want to speak about Ekpa for fear of being hunted by his followers. We believe that they will hunt whoever comes out to talk about their leader. But the Finnish Government is trying to get rid of the situation.”

Metro

65% of Nigerian households lack money for healthy food—Survey

Published

1 day ago

November 22, 2024

Isaac Dachen

A survey conducted by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has revealed that around 65% of Nigerian households, which is about two-thirds of the population, lack the financial means to eat healthy food.

According to the survey by the agency, the decline is a reflection of the multidimensional poverty in the country and the impact of continuous reduction in the purchasing power of Nigerians due to rising prices of goods and services.

And as a result, two-thirds of households in the country lack money to eat healthy, nutritious food, the NBS said.

Titled “Nigeria General Household Survey – Panel (GHS-Panel) Wave 5 (2023/2024),” the survey examined demographics, education, and health trends in Nigeria, comparing data from Wave 4 (2018/19) and Wave 5 (2023/24).

On food insecurity, the survey stated:

“Approximately two out of three households indicated being unable to eat healthy, nutritious or preferred foods because of lack of money in the last 30 days.

“Similarly, 63.8 per cent of households ate only a few kinds of food due to lack of money, 62.4 percent were worried about not having enough food to eat, and 60.5 percent ate less than they thought they should.”

It added that between Waves 4 and 5, the proportion of households that reported being worried about not having enough food to eat because of lack of money increased significantly, from 36.9 percent to 62.4 percent.

On access to energy, the survey revealed said:

“82.2 percent of urban households have electricity, compared to 40.4 per cent in rural areas. Nigerian households face an average of 6.7 power blackouts weekly.

“Cooking typically involves traditional three-stone stoves (65.0 percent), primarily using wood as fuel (70.2 per cent), but with use of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) rising significantly.

“Many households lack toilet facilities and rely on tube wells or boreholes for drinking water. Waste disposal is mostly informal, with 45.6 percent of households using bushes or streets,” it added.