FG APPROVES N40BN FOR GURARA DAM, ILESA WATER PROJECTS

The Federal Government yesterday approved about N40 billion for the completion of the Gurara water projects A and B and the Regional urban water supply project for Ilesha water works.

Minister of Information, Labaran Maku and his Water Resources counterpart, Mrs Sarah Ochekpe made this known while briefing State House Correspondents after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting presided over by President Goodluck Jonathan.

Maku said Council took the major decision to complete the Gurara water projects A and B Dam because it was expected to supply power and water to enable unemployed youths get jobs as benefit from this huge project.

Gurara dam had been the major dam that supplies the FCT water through the lower Usman Dam, but over the years, the project has been dragging.

The minister said President Jonathan directed that the entire two phases of the project remaining, A and B should be completed and once completed, the 30Megawatts electricity capacity which this dam is expected to generate will now be harvested.

He said, 'The hydro project itself has been completed, but the transmission infrastructure to convey power from the dam to users has not been completed. In addition to this, it will irrigate about 6,000 hecters of land and land will be made available to 20,000 farmers for irrigation and about 38,000 indirect jobs will also be created once the plot B is completed.

'Government will also train 500 young graduate farmers and the project is expected to be completed in 12 to 18 months'.

The Minister if Water Resources who blamed inconsistent funding for the delay in the completion of the dam said Council approved N3.6Billion for the Gurara Dam project with a completion period of 18 months, while about N37 billion was been approved for the Regional urban water supply for Ilesha water works which started in 2006n totalling N40 billion in all.