President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR has approved ₦80 billion for the reconstruction and expansion of Alau Dam in Borno State.
The Minister of Water Resources, Joseph Utsev, confirmed this during a briefing with State House correspondents following the second Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting of the year on Tuesday.
Mr. Utsev, who also chairs the inter-ministerial committee on dams, stated that the President had approved the rehabilitation project, pending FEC ratification.
The committee, established on September 23, 2024, includes the ministers of finance, environment, works, information, and the National Security Adviser. It was officially inaugurated on October 2, 2024, to assess dams nationwide and propose necessary improvements.
A sub-committee was later formed, bringing in experts from the Nigerian Society of Engineers, the Council for Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria, and the Council of Dams Experts in Nigeria. So, the committee swooped into action and brought out recommendations of about 35 dams that have been assessed so far.
‘Today, the interim report was presented to the Federal Executive Council. The Alau Dam is very critical. We saw some challenges as a result of flooding on September 10, 2024. The assessment of the remaining 34 dams is ongoing and will be presented to the Federal Executive Council and the entire Nigerians,’ Mr. Utsev said.
The Borno State Government is collaborating with the sub-committee to ensure the project’s swift commencement.
The first phase is expected to be completed before July, with desilting operations scheduled to begin in December. The entire project is projected to take 24 months.