The Minister of State for Water Resources and Sanitation, Mr. Bello Goronyo, on Thursday, appealed to stakeholders in Dadinkowa, Yamaltu/Deba local government area of Gombe state, to support the federal government’s agenda for food security.
Goronyo, who made the appeal while inspecting the Dadinkowa Dam, said President Bola Tinubu’s administration was passionate about boosting food availability for citizens of the country.
He stated that the Federal Government was committed to harnessing the potential of water resources to boost food production, eliminate hunger, create wealth and address unemployment in the country.
According to him, the government’s efforts to harness the irrigation potential that the dam in the community provides need the support of all stakeholders to produce the expected results.
The minister said water remained one of the most important resources needed to attain food sufficiency in the country.
“This is why the Dadinkowa Dam is important and we are appealing for the support of the community to help us deliver on Mr. President’s agenda for food security.
“We are appealing to members of this community to look at this project as a national asset, protect, secure and own it so it can serve its purpose.
“The eight-point agenda of President Tinubu has already been kicked off, and we are here to ensure that we deliver on the mandate given to us.
“That’s why we are here to inspect this dam, and we have seen that everything is in good shape, and we are promising Nigerians that more will come; we need your cooperation, supports and prayers,” he said.
Goronyo added that food security was a priority of President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and “since the river basins provide a lot of benefits in this regard, we will leverage the abundant resources to ensure sufficiency.”
On his part, the Emir of Yamaltu, Abubakar Aliyu, commended the drive of President Tinubu to boost food security through the cultivation of thousands of hectares as well as harnessing the potential of irrigation.
Aliyu said the move by the federal government to leverage water resources to boost food security was commendable and needed the support of all stakeholders.
He assured the minister of his emirate’s support for Mr. President’s food security agenda, adding that his people were known for their farming activities, especially dry-season farming.
He appealed for more investments in the agric sector to enhance irrigation farming, which he said would further engage more youths in the community.
The minister, who was accompanied by officials of the Upper Benue River Basin Development Authority, inspected facilities at the dam as well as the hectares of farmland used for irrigation farming.
He said part of President Tinubu’s food agenda is to cultivate 500,000 hectares of farmland across the country to produce maize, rice, wheat, and other crops to achieve food sufficiency and affordability.
To demonstrate his administration’s seriousness about local production of agricultural produce, President Tinubu declared a state of emergency on food security in July.
