Kwara, FG partner on irrigation for food security, devt

By Muyideen Aliyu, Ilorin

The Kwara State Government has restated its willingness to collaborate with the Federal Ministry of Water Resources on the Sustainable Power and Irrigation for Nigeria (SPIN) project, aimed at bolstering agricultural productivity and ensuring long-term food security.

This assurance was given by the State Commissioner for Water Resources, Hon Usman Yunusa Lade, during the visit of a delegation from the Federal Ministry of Water Resources to Kwara last weekend. The team was in the state to conduct an on-site evaluation of an existing dam being considered for the SPIN initiative.

Hon Lade confirmed that the state government is fully prepared to provide its counterpart funding for the project in line with World Bank requirements. He thanked the delegation for assessing the three proposed sites—Omu-Aran, Malete, and Duku Lade—and ultimately selecting Duku Lade Dam in Patigi Local Government Area for the project’s implementation.

The Commissioner noted that Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq remains deeply committed to using agriculture as a key driver for economic development, sustainable livelihoods, and youth empowerment.

Also speaking, the State Director of Water Engineering Services, Engr Yusuf Wopa, welcomed the decision to include Kwara as a beneficiary of the SPIN programme. He reiterated that the state government would make the most of the opportunity to advance agricultural development not only within Kwara but across Nigeria.

Leading the delegation, Engr Oye Bankole Agbelusi, Environmental Safeguards Specialist at the Federal Ministry of Water Resources, said the visit was aimed at conducting an environmental screening of the Duku Lade irrigation site in preparation for the SPIN project.

He explained that Duku Lade was chosen as the model location for the World Bank-supported project and stressed the importance of adhering to global environmental standards. Agbelusi noted that a detailed impact assessment was a prerequisite for signing the subsidiary loan agreement with the Federal Ministry of Finance and other stakeholders.

He stated that all procedures must be followed diligently to uphold both national interests and the integrity of the SPIN project.