The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation, Alhaji Shehu Aliyu Shinkafi, FCNA, has highlighted the urgent need to address food security and water governance in Nigeria, emphasizing the need for collaborative efforts between the tiers of government and other Water and Sanitation experts and stakeholders.
The Permanent Secretary, speaking at the Opening Ceremony of the Technical Session of the 30th Regular Meeting of the National Council on Water Resources and Sanitation, with the theme ” People, Planet and Prosperity: Promoting Water Governance for National Food Security”, today in Abuja, reiterated President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s declaration of a State of Emergency on Food and Security and the need for collaborative efforts among stakeholders.
He emphasized the importance of availability and affordability of food for livelihood and highlighted the urgent need for synergy between the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security and the Federal Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation to ensure adequate irrigation for year-round farming, underscoring water governance’s role in promoting National food security. He also acknowledged the significant role of the Ministry’s Publics and Stakeholders in finding lasting solutions to water resources development and food security issues in the country.
The Permanent Secretary further disclosed that the Federal Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation has identified and introduced three strategic programs, ‘Water for Expanded Irrigated Agriculture Programme (WEIRPRO), Partnership for Extended Irrigation Programme (PEIRPRO) and River Basin Strategy for Poverty Alleviation (RB-SPA) with a view to accelerating the actualization of the State of Emergency on Food Security in Nigeria.
According to him, the Federal Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation has commenced the implementation of these Programmes following the launch of the dry season farming with a total of 120,000 hectares of land in Jigawa State under the National Wheat Development Programme in November 2023.
He highlighted that some River Basins Development Authorities have leveraged these programmes launched their dry farming seasons to boost food productivity and urged other River Basin Authorities yet to join to commence in order to enhance sustainability.
He also acknowledged the impactful support of Development Partners through sustained funding for critical Water and Sanitation projects, as well as the contributions of various International and Local NGOs for their unwavering support.
While declaring the Workshop open, the Minister of Federal Capital Territory, Barr Nyesom Wike, CON, represented by the Acting Permanent Secretary in the Federal Capital Territory Administration, Dr. Udoh Samuel Attang, emphasized the need to prioritize Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) Sector in the country and called for collective efforts to strengthen change.
Goodwill messages were delivered by Development Partners including the General Manager of FCT Water Board, Daniel Salka Audu, a representative of the World Bank, Engr. Emmanuel Chinedu, and UNICEF Chief of WASH, Dr. Jane Bevan, among others.
The opening ceremony was attended by important personalities from government,the academia, private sector, Development Partners, Water and Sanitation Stakeholders, Management staff, Directors-General/Managing Directors of the Ministry’s Agencies, and Water and Sanitation experts
Mrs. Funmi Imuetinyan
Director, Press and Public Relations.
