The Minister of State for Water Resources and Sanitation, Bello Goronyo, has reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to strengthening Water Users’ Associations in public irrigation schemes as a critical step towards achieving food security and economic growth.
This was disclosed in a press statement signed by the Director of Information and Public Relations at the Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation, Funmi Imuetinyan, on Saturday.
The statement noted that the minister said this at the South-South Regional Workshop on the “Establishment and strengthening of WUAs in public irrigation schemes in Nigeria,” in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.
The minister emphasised the importance of participatory water management in sustaining the nation’s irrigation infrastructure.
He highlighted the role irrigation plays in addressing food insecurity, boosting economic growth, reducing poverty, and empowering youth under President Bola Tinubu’s renewed hope agenda.
He stressed that sustainable food production and national food security cannot be achieved without effective water management and active involvement of water users, which makes the establishment and strengthening of WUAs essential.
“The success of the World Bank-sponsored Transforming Irrigation Management in Nigeria project, particularly in WUA development, demonstrates the importance of a well-structured institutional framework for irrigation management. Public irrigation schemes under the TRIMING project have seen WUAs taking ownership of the schemes, protecting infrastructure, paying water service fees, and maintaining the systems for enhanced agricultural productivity,” said Goronyo.
He underscored the need to replicate the success of TRIMING in other public irrigation schemes across the country, noting that the sustainability of these schemes is essential for achieving the administration’s food security objectives.
“This workshop is timely, aligning with the efforts of the Federal Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation to support the broader mission of this administration in ensuring food security and economic growth. Well-structured WUAs are essential to the sustainability of irrigation systems, and in turn, to food production and economic prosperity in Nigeria.”
He commended the Director of Irrigation and Drainage, Federal Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation, Oyeronke Oluniyi, for her dedicated efforts in promoting irrigation and for organising the workshop.
