Sokoto to reclaim farms abandoned 88 years ago

Some farms to be reclaimed with N4.9 billion in Sokoto State are part of the Kware irrigation project abandoned in the state 88 years ago, Daily Trust has exclusively gathered. Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal said recently that the state government in collaboration with the federal government and the African Development Bank would spend N4.9 billion […]

Some farms to be reclaimed with N4.9 billion in Sokoto State are part of the Kware irrigation project abandoned in the state 88 years ago, Daily Trust has exclusively gathered.
Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal said recently that the state government in collaboration with the federal government and the African Development Bank would spend N4.9 billion for the reclamation of farms in Kware Irrigation Scheme.
Information obtained from the official document on the project said the programme would run for five years under the Agricultural Transformation Agenda Support Programme- Phase I.
According to the document, Sokoto State government would commit about N460 million which would be paid in installments while the federal government and the African Development Bank would collectively commit N4.1 billion.
According to the project’s specification, it involves the construction of 175 irrigation water conveyance canals; 120 units of hydraulic structures; 55 kilometers of feeder roads; five units of primary schools- two primary health centres; and two community markets among others.
Daily Trust learnt that the Kware Irrigation Scheme was established by the colonial administration in 1927 and was targeting about 1000 hectares of irrigation farms which would be done in phases.
It was learnt that since the realisation of the first phase of the project which was 400 hectares of irrigable land by the colonial government, the project was until now neglected by succeeding governments.
The acting permanent secretary of the state Ministry of Agriculture, Alhaji Atiku Ladan, said if completed the project would increase food production, job creation and also help in developing rice value chain as well as encourage local rice milling in the state.
The areas now record only one planting season as against the expected all-year-round farming with even the single harvest uncertain because of degradation of the 400 hectares due to water recession.
Ladan added that farmers in the area are not making maximum utilisation of the scheme because of the low volume of water.
“With this project coming up, the scheme would be rehabilitated and expanded to cover 1,000 hectares. This would boost farming activities in the state, create job opportunities and reduce the rate of crimes associated with idleness,” he said.
He said eight communities would benefit from the project which he listed as Kware town, Mullela, Marabawa, Gidan Tudu, Gidan Arjun, Gidan Malam, Sarkawa and Sabon- Gari.
At the site of the projects, our reporter observed non-functional boreholes said to have been drilled during the first phase of the project in 1927.
At the grand sensitisation meeting involving members of the communities, the chairman of the sensitisation committee and state coordinator of IPAD, Alhaji Aliyu Dogon Daji, while allying the fear of members of the communities, assured them that none of them would lose an inch of his farmland as the programme was meant to empower them to the extent that they can produce more.
He told them that it was in line with the campaign promises of President Muhammadu Buhari and Governor Tambuwal and appealed to them to give maximum support to the programme.
The village head of Umaruma, Alhaji Bello Hama Ali, said they should consider themselves lucky for being selected for the programme, adding that now they would reap from the project abandoned years ago.
“I am sure if our forefathers who were there when this project started are around they would not hesitate to travel to Abuja to express their gratitude to Mr President and come back to thank Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal because they knew its economic importance to their lives.
This is something that not only us but even our unborn generations would benefit from,” he said.
However, leader of the farming communities, Alhaji Yusuf Sardauna, while commending the government for considering them for the project, appealed to the state government to hasten the rehabilitation of the protective deck at the site of the project before the discharge of excess water by the Bakalori dam.
He said the call was necessary as their plantations were at the risk of being washed away if no measure was taken before the planned discharge.