Water Resources Ministry seeks synergy with Agriculture for all year food security

Concise Daily February 13, 2024

0 5 min read

Nigeria’s Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation (FMWRS) has called for a synergy with the Agriculture and Food Security counterpart to achieve an all year round food security mandate of the Federal Government.

The Permanent Secretary, FMWRS, Alhaji Shehu Shinkafi who made the call at the opening of the 30th Regular Meeting of the National Council on Water Resources and Sanitation in Abuja said the synergy was necessary in a time of the recently declared state of emergency on food security by the federal government.

Shinkafi, who spoke on the theme of the meeting: ‘People, Planet and Prosperity: Promoting Water Governance for National Food Security, 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 had 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 had 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.

The Country Director of World Bank, Mr Shubham Chaudhuri who was respesented by Mr Chinedu Emmanuel, said that quality governance was vital to the achievement of food security.

He highlighted national food security as a priority of the current administration, while also acknowledged the complexity of achieving the target solely at the federal level, and urged full participation from states.

According to him, with an active portfolio exceeding two billion dollars in concessionary finances exclusively for the water sector, the World Bank had been collaborating closely with Nigeria, specifically the Federal Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation.

He mentioned the Transforming Irrigation Agenda in Nigeria as one of the supported projects, saying that it was designed to actualise national food security through irrigation and drainage development.

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mr Nyesom Wike, pledged the commitment of his administration to prioritising access to water, sanitation and hygiene.

He said that the role of water infrastructure in the nation’s capital was crucial, and called for collective efforts to foster change.