The federal government is set to partially commercialise the dams under the nation’s 12 river basins to enable them to deliver their mandates effectively.

The Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Joseph Utsev, disclosed this while speaking to journalists shortly after inspecting the Tiga dam in Bebeji Local Government Area of Kano State on Wednesday.

The minister said the commercialisation of the basins would enable them to generate increased revenues for the federal government.

Mr Utsev assured that the huge infrastructure available at the basins would guarantee a return on investments.

He explained that the exercise would ensure sustainable operations and management of their infrastructure.

” The basins have huge infrastructure like water supply schemes, dams and irrigation that require good funding to be able to keep them running and to provide dividends for Nigerians,” said the minister.

He said the visit aimed to assess the dam’s state and the challenges to address them for optimal growth.

The minister explained that the main purpose of constructing the dam was for irrigation, flood control and energy generation.

” We are ready to partner with commercial farmers; they come and register with us, and we will allow them to tap water from the dam for commercial farming, which will help immensely in enhancing food production,” he stated.

Mr Utsev said one of the major challenges the dam was currently facing was the illegal tapping of the water by farmers.

Earlier, the managing director of the Hadejia Jamma’are River Basin, Ma’Amun Dau Aliyu, explained that more than three million farmers were benefiting from the Tiga Dam while hundreds of others were syphoning the water illegally.

He said the basin had since commenced moves to mobilise all those operating illegally so that they would register.

(NAN)