Irrigation farming, fishery suffer set back in Ekiti

Irrigation farming and fishery activities in Ikere Ekiti, Ekiti state have suffered set back due to inadequate funding of the construction of the Ogbese multipurpose dam by the federal government. When the monitoring team, drawn from the Fiscal Responsibility Commission (FRS), led by the commissioner representing the South West, Dr. Adewumi Abitoye, visited the site […]

Irrigation farming and fishery activities in Ikere Ekiti, Ekiti state have suffered set back due to inadequate funding of the construction of the Ogbese multipurpose dam by the federal government.
When the monitoring team, drawn from the Fiscal Responsibility Commission (FRS), led by the commissioner representing the South West, Dr. Adewumi Abitoye, visited the site last week for an assessment of the level of work done, it was surprised that only N1,970,091,369.75 had been released to the contractor since inception.
It was awarded in July 2009 to Messrs Foundation Solid Nig. Ltd at the cost of N5,493,68,557.13 but was later reviewed upward to N7,802,436,568.66 and expected to have been completed in 2011.
However, two years after it was awarded, the project is still far from being completed as only 20 percent of the job had been done due to poor funding.
The main purpose of the dam project being executed by the Federal Ministry of Water Resources is to generate water for neighbouring council areas and communities for industrial, domestic, irrigation of farmlands, power generation and fishery.
While briefing the team on the level of work done, the Project Manager, Engr Nkedi Maina said the construction of the dam was progressing until the issue of inadequate funding started.
He said: “ We have been explaining the situation to every government official that come to site. At present our machines are lying idle.”
When asked the likely date for the completion of the project, he said 2011 was earlier slated as the hand over date, adding that “no one can say when the project will be completed now. All depends on money.”