By Izunna Okafor, Awka
It was a fruitful session and outing in Abuja, the capital city of Nigeria, as the Anambra State Commissioner for Power and Water Resources, Engr. Julius Chukwuemeka, joined other stakeholders in the water sector at the 30th Regular Meeting of National Council on Water Resources and Sanitation.
Themed “People, Planet, and Prosperity: Promoting Water Governance for National Food Security”, the 4-day event, which held at the National Center for Women Development, Abuja, drew participants from different the states of the federation and the FCT, including the Minister of FCT, Nyesom Wike (represented by the Acting Permanent Secretary, FCT, Dr. Udoh Samuel Attang) who played host to the guests.
Among the various deliberations and outcomes of the meeting, the well-attended event also marked a significant progress in the Anambra State’s water sector, as Commissioner Chukwuemeka, through the state government, attracted solar motorised boreholes for tertiary institutions in the State.
The Commissioner, who made the projects approval notification letter available to this reporter, revealed that one of the motorized solar boreholes would be sited at the Nwafor-Orizu College of Education, Nsugbe; while the other one will be sited at the College of Health Technology, Obosi (both to be executed by the Apex Grade Nig. Ltd.).
The letter further revealed that the two projects were approved and awarded in response to a letter earlier written to that effect by the Commissioner.
Addressing newsmen shortly after the event, Commissioner Chukwuemeka, who describes the projects as a significant boost to what the Governor Chukwuma Soludo-led Administration is currently doing in the water and power sectors of the State, adding that the State’s power and water sectors are on a progressive and transformative move.
The Commissioner who attended the event alongside the Permanent Secretary of his Ministry, Mrs. Ifeyinwa Uzoka, gave an analytical overview of what the current administration in the state is already doing in the water and power sectors of the State, citing the conversion of many hitherto diesel-powered boreholes and streetlights to solar; the ongoing resuscitation of hitherto moribund water schemes and facilities across the urban, semi-urban, and rural areas of the State, among others giant strides, all aimed at improving the general living condition of the masses and cutting down the cost of governance.
While appreciating the Federal Government for the approval of the projects, he further assured adequate co-operation with the contracting firm and other stakeholders, to ensure smooth, timely and successful competition delivery of the projects.
Earlier speaking at the event, the Federal Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Engr. Prof. Joseph Terlumun Utsev urged states, local governments, and Water and Sanitation Stakeholders to utilize the Federal Government’s water resources infrastructure to bolster food production in their respective states.
He highlighted Water Resources Management’s pivotal role in achieving food security, economic growth, and poverty alleviation in the country, underscoring the importance of robust water governance frameworks to tackle challenges such as water scarcity, pollution, and climate change impacts.
The Federal Minister also reiterated Federal Government’s commitment and unrelenting efforts to ensure provision of potable water for Nigerians, as well as promoting irrigation as a means to transform the country’s food production landscape, create employment, and ensure food security for all.
