- Pix: Engr. Suleiman H. Adamu, Minister of Water Resources/ SHARE THIS
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Federal Ministry of Water Resources in collaboration with the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) has selected four (4) River Basin Development Authorities, namely: Ogun Osun RBDA, Upper Niger RBDA, Sokoto Rima RBDA and Niger Delta RBDA on a Pilot Phase for partial commercialization.
Delivering his keynote address at the opening ceremony of Business Improvement Training Tuesday May 4, in Abuja, the Minister of Water Resources, Engr. Suleiman H. Adamu, stated that it has become imperative for Federal Government to seek alternative sources of funding in order to shore up their revenue base and make them self-reliant, adding that the RBDAs have the potentials to develop revenue for themselves for the conduct of their operations.
Engr Adamu noted that Federal Government is not unaware of the challenges facing the RBDAs which include financial indebtedness, paucity of funds, inadequate personnel, equipment and operational capacities.
The Minister stated that the idea is not to privatise the River Basin Development Authorities but to make them to become more relevant in relation to national development in such areas as poverty eradication through agriculture.
He reiterated that the River Basin Development Authorities will, therefore, with this commercialization, have a golden opportunity to contribute to the advancement of the reform agenda of the Buhari Administration through Integrated River Basin Management as a vehicle for enhancing food security, job and wealth creation as encapsulated in the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan of the Government.
He maintained that Nigeria’s economy offers a wide range of investment opportunities in key sectors of the economy, while the national priority as envisioned by this administration is to increase its local agricultural production so that citizens can buy and eat what they produce.
The Director – General of the Bureau of Public Enterprises, Mr. Alex . Okoh, in his welcome address, reiterated the Federal Government’s unwavering commitment to promoting private sector participation in the operation, management and maintenance of RBDAs without divesting its shares.
The Federal Government of Nigeria is also eager to develop and manage the country’s water resources with special emphasis on optimizing irrigation potentials for farming and agriculture on commercial basis and to fulfill the underlying objectives of food and water sufficiency./ SHARE THIS