In continuation of his familiarization tour of the River Basin Development Authorities located in the South-South region of the country, the minister of state for water resources and sanitation, Hon. Bello Muhammad Goronyo, Esq, has made a passionate appeal to the governors of Bayelsa, Rivers and Delta States to key into the programmes of the ministry, particularly as it concerns the Niger Delta Basin Development Authority (NDBDA).
This, the minister said, is to enable quick deliverables in food security and in programmes such as PEWASH, SURWASH and anti-open defecation initiatives in line with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
While addressing the management and staff of NDBDA at the headquarters of the agency in Port Harcourt, the minister regretted the difficulties the NDBDA was facing in terms of climatic changes that resulted in the flooding of the region, especially in 2022, during which most infrastructure, farmlands and other important projects of the NDBDA and the entire Niger Delta region were devastated.
He hinted that the unfortunate flood incidence in the area had adverse effects on the development of the region and commended the efforts of the NDBDA in establishing various Songhai Model Integrated Farms in the catchment area to boost food production.
Goronyo urged the NDBDA to properly harness these efforts to bring succour to the various communities in the catchment area in order to add value to the lives of the people while also boosting the internally generated revenue of the NDBDA.
He emphasized the importance of the performance bonds that the ministers and permanent secretaries of various ministries signed with President Tinubu during the just concluded retreat in Abuja to accelerate the success of the ministry’s mandate in line with the 8 priority areas of the present Administration.
The minister further urged the management of the NDBDA to collaborate with relevant Stakeholders to accelerate the actualization of President Tinubu’s agenda to take Nigeria out of hunger and poverty. He also encouraged the staff to be hard working in embracing this call to action.
Goronyo and his entourage also paid a courtesy visit to the Governor of Rivers State at the Government House Port Harcourt where the State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, pledged to collaborate with the ministry and the NDBDA towards a successful implementation of people-oriented programmes in Rivers State.
The Managing Director of NDBDA, Engr. Mark Daso Derefaka, highlighted the comparative advantage of the NDBDA as a result of it’s abundant land and fresh water bodies for irrigation, water supply, recreation, sanitation, hydro-power supply and crops production.
According to Engr. Derefaka, the eight Songhai Model Integrated Farms of NDBDA located in the different catchment areas of the three states of Bayelsa, Delta and Rivers are assets to the region but face the challenges of constant occurrence of flood in due to the region’s peculiar terrain.
He appealed to the federal government to increase the budgetary allocation to the NDBDA and ensure the provision of drainage equipment, as well as construction of drainage facilities within the entire catchment area, stretching from River Niger to Nun, Ethiope, Forcados, Escravos, Bonnny, Otamiri and Remos.
The minister was accompanied on the visit by some senior management staff of the ministry, the MD of NDBDA and his management staff, as well as other top government functionaries of Rivers Sttate ministry of water resources and rural development, including the acting. permanent secretary, Mrs. Mabel Amesi.
