The Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Joseph Utsev, says food sufficiency in Nigeria remains a priority of the administration of President Bola Tinubu.
Utsev stated this on Wednesday while on an assessment tour of the solarisation of the Pivot Irrigation Unit of the Middle Ogun Irrigation Project, Iseyin, Oyo State.
He said the mandate of food production, creating jobs and enhancing the country’s economy was in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda of the president.
The minister stressed the commitment of the Federal Government to the provision of necessary facilities that would enhance food productivity, adding that the ongoing solarisation of the Middle Ogun Irrigation Unit and the connection of the centre to the national electric power grid were parts of efforts to encourage irrigation farming.
“The Middle Ogun Irrigation project started in 1990, and the aim of the project was to put about 12,000 hectares of land into production.
“When the project started, it was to use diesel for its power generating plants but now we are changing the diesel method of powering our irrigation facilities to solar and the national grid power because of the high cost of diesel and other reasons,” he said.
Utsev revealed that the connection of the centre to the national grid had reached 95 per cent completion, while the solarisation project had reached a completion stage of 85 per cent.
On his part, Chairman of Middle Ogun Irrigation Project Farmers Association, Iseyin, Alhaji Dauda Ademola, appreciated the federal government for ongoing projects at the centre.
Ademola urged the government to put in more interest in ensuring the speedy completion of the projects and other facilities that would enhance irrigation farming.
Food sufficiency remains Nigerian Govt priority – Minister