Editor
By Fatima Saka
The Honorable Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Engr. Professor Joseph Terlumun Utsev, has dismissed as inaccurate and deceptive the media assertions indicating a potential failure of the Dadin Kowa Multipurpose Dam in Gombe State due to the rise in water levels of the dam caused by recent heavy rainfall across the nation.
Addressing reporters today at the dam site in Gombe, following a thorough assessment of the dam in the company of the Honorable Minister of State for Water Resources and Sanitation, Barrister Bello Goronyo, Professor Utsev elucidated that, based on the evaluation of the dam’s components and his on-site observations, the dam is in optimal condition to fulfill its designated functions of irrigation, power generation, and flood control, devoid of any looming collapse even in the future.
The Minister affirmed that all conduits, including the spillway and penstock for hydroelectric power, have been fully activated to regulate the water in the reservoir and facilitate electricity generation.
Professor Utsev urged the populace to scrutinize the credibility of their information sources and ensure their veracity before approaching the media to prevent disseminating misleading information and instigating unwarranted alarm.
The Minister further disclosed that his ministry conducts daily monitoring and routine inspections of the dam to guarantee its safety and regulate the reservoir’s water levels.
Professor Utsev disclosed that the Federal Government is actively progressing with the implementation of the Sustainable Power and Irrigation in Nigeria (SPIN) project nationwide, encompassing irrigation, dam safety, and power generation.
The Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation also highlighted that his ministry is undertaking requisite measures to safeguard the integrity of water infrastructure in the country and embarking on new projects to ensure food security, water supply, sanitation, flood control, employment generation, and climate change adaptation, among other critical objectives.
In a similar vein, the Minister of State for Water Resources and Sanitation, Barrister Bello Goronyo, affirmed that the ministry will persist in safeguarding its pivotal national assets to fulfill their intended purposes and assured Nigerians of the government’s dedication to providing ample water for irrigation agriculture and hydroelectric power generation.
Business Development Manager of Mabon Limited, Mr. Jayaharan Paul, attested that the dam has been contributing hydroelectric power to the national grid, enhancing power supply in the Gombe, Borno, and Yobe regions, while the Area Manager of Dadin Kowa Multipurpose Dam, Bello Mohammed Bello, expounded that the dam presently services over two thousand hectares of land for irrigation agriculture in Gombe, significantly boosting irrigation agriculture in its vicinity and assuring the safety of the host community where the dam is situated.
