President Bola Ahmed Tinubu ordered the Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation to carry out integrity tests in all dams in Nigeria to determine their suitability for multiple economic purposes.
This stood out when the Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Professor Joseph Terlumun Utsev, received the Director General of the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC), Dr. Jobson Ewalefoh and his team in his office in Abuja.
This was contained in a press release signed by the Director of Information and Public Relations, Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation, Mrs. Funmi Imuetinyan.
UTSEV revealed that President Tinubu has ordered the Ministry to “evaluate the State and the integrity of all dams throughout the country.”
This, he said, is “to determine its suitability for the supply of water, irrigation, flood control and hydroelectric energy generation.”
According to him, integrity tests will ensure that dams significantly increase their economic value and support the national development objectives.
The president has expressed his determination to build an economy of $ 1 billion and believes that the Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation has a large number of natural and infrastructural assets that can be mobilized towards this objective.
Professor UTSEV, during the courtesy call, reiterated the federal government's commitment to guarantee sustained collaboration with the ICRC to deepen the public-private partnerships (PPP) in alignment with the renewed agenda of hope of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR.
Professor UTSev emphasized that an improved association with the ICRC is vital to expand access to water for the Nigerian population for national and industrial uses, as well as agriculture.
He said that, for sanitation infrastructure in Nigeria, PPPs remain a critical strategy to mobilize the participation and investment of the private sector in key sectors of the economy.
According to him: “Our collaboration must be sustained to accelerate access to safe water, improved sanitation and greater food production. We are particularly interested in driving PPP models through the development authorities of the river basin.”
The minister highlighted the current national campaign to end open defecation (ODF), noting that a clean and healthy environment is essential to attract investments and improve public health.
In his comments, Dr. Jobson Ewalefoh, general director of the ICRC, praised the Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation for his leadership in the progress of key infrastructure projects aligned with national and global objectives, including SDG 6.
He emphasized the importance of app in the delivery of shocking, transparent and financing initiatives, citing important projects such as Dasin-Hausa dam, Farin Ruwa, Manya, Bawarku, Grand Katsina-Ala, Kashimbila airport and the Gurara II dam.
He proposed a deeper collaboration in the expansion of rural water infrastructure, the rehabilitation of dams, the improvement of sanitation facilities and the hydroelectric scale. He also recommended innovative PPP models, such as a national sanitation framework, desalination projects, bulk water supply schemes and smart water services in PPP arrangements.
Dr. Ewalefoh concluded by encouraging the administration of the development authorities of the river basin to attend the National PPP Summit, scheduled for the second week of June of this year, to promote associations and mobilize investment in the water and sanitation sectors.
Read too Main stories OF Nigerian tribe