The Federal Government has allocated N4.4 billion to revive three long-abandoned dam projects in Nasarawa, Ekiti, and Plateau states In an effort to curb flooding and enhance hydropower production.
PLATFORM TIMES reports that the funding, managed by the Ministry of Water Resources, marks a significant intervention aimed at resuming work on the Farin Ruwa Multipurpose Dam, Ogbese Multipurpose Dam, and Mangu Dam, all of which have faced delays and funding challenges over the years.
PLATFORM TIMES gathered that the Farin Ruwa Dam project, initiated by the Nasarawa State government in 2003, was originally intended to generate 20 megawatts of electricity and drive socio-economic development in northern Nigeria.
However, it faced a halt due to financial constraints, remaining abandoned for almost two decades.
Although the Federal Government took over the project in 2021, promising completion within 24 months, it remains unfinished three years later.
The current administration under Professor Joseph Utsev, the Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, has now included it in the 2024 budget, committing to resuming work on the project.
Records from civic technology platform GovSpend show that N2.6 billion has already been allocated for these dam projects in multiple instalments.
Part of this funding includes payments to Wiz China Worldwide Engineering Limited, which received N640 million initially, followed by additional payments of N1.07 billion in May 2024 and N905 million in September 2024 to facilitate the completion of the Nasarawa project.
Similarly, Ekiti State’s Ogbese Dam, launched in 2009, was envisioned to provide power, irrigation, and domestic water to over 450,000 people.
The dam is expected to contribute approximately four megawatts to the national grid upon completion.
However, prolonged neglect delayed progress until August 2024, when the Ministry of Water Resources allocated N1.3 billion to Barbar Global Services Nigeria Limited to rekindle the project’s construction.
The Mangu Dam in Plateau State, another long-stalled project, was initiated by the Federal Government in 2002 to provide clean water and irrigation while also considering hydropower potential.
Originally slated for completion in 2017, the project remains unfinished despite recurrent budgetary allocations.
The current administration recently allocated N526 million to Infiouest International Ltd in September 2024 to push the project towards completion.
This cumulative investment of N4.45 billion underscores the government’s renewed commitment to addressing the infrastructure deficit in dam projects.
Speaking on a recent tour of the Mangu Dam, Ali Dallah, the Director of Dams and Reservoir Operations at the Ministry of Water Resources, highlighted Nigeria’s limited dam infrastructure as a factor contributing to recurrent flooding across the country.
“Flooding in Nigeria is primarily due to insufficient dams, which are essential for containing water and preventing downstream flooding,” Dallah said.
He noted that, while countries like the United States and China boast over 90,000 functional dams each, Nigeria has only 408 registered dams.
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