The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Sarah Ochekpe

  • Fed Govt advocates technology transfer to tackle water challenges

    The Federal Government has advocated technology transfer in tackling water sector challenges in Nigeria.

    The Minister of Water Resources, Mrs. Sarah Ochekpe, in Abuja at a seminar and exhibition of “Water Africa and West Africa Building and Construction,” stated that this will improve service delivery to Nigerians.

    She noted that cross fertilisation of ideas by the participants on how to effectively and efficiently utilise the new technology would improve service delivery to enhance access to safe, potable water and sanitation in Nigeria.

    According to the minister, information and knowledge are keys to critical development in the sector.

    In a statement by the ministry’s Deputy Director (Press), Mrs. Boade Akinola, Ochekpe urged participants to explore the seminar and exibition for their technological development, adding that the exhibition would allow staff of the ministry to key into the new tools and ideas being displayed.

    In his remarks, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Baba Umar Farouk, stated that the objective of this year’s seminar and exhibition was to showcase new tools, machineries and techniques for water, housing and construction sectors, as well as provide a platform for interaction with experts for purposes of cross fertilisation of ideas among all stakeholders.

  • FG to assist Niger Republic in irrigation

    The federal government has announced plans to assist Niger Republic with bulk water from Jibiya Dam, Katsina State, to facilitate irrigation projects in the country.

    The Minister of Water Resources, Mrs. Sarah Ochekpe, stated this during a meeting with a delegation from Niger Republic led by the country’s Minister of Agriculture, Mr. Abdul Labo.

    According to a statement from the ministry’s Deputy Director (Press), Mrs. Oyeboade Akinola, the meeting was aimed at deepening the cooperation on water resource management between the two countries.

    It was also to finalise the details and necessary agreement that would facilitate equitable utilisation of water as there was notable high interdependency between both countries for industrial purpose, irrigation, agriculture, energy and other uses.

    Ochekpe said Nigeria would consider the release of water to Niger for irrigation purposes as requested.

    She asked the country to construct a big reservoir that would contain the volume of water released in order to avoid waste.

    In his response, Labo said the purpose of his visit to Nigeria was to seek brotherly assistance from Nigeria in the area of bulk water for irrigation.

    He said the assistance was necessary for the two countries to benefit from agricultural and economic activities.

    According to Labo, Niger experiences drought in every two to three years and the only way to fight it is through irrigation.

    According to him, the country would be able to produce cereal crops that were not produced during the rainy season.

    Labo urged the two countries to implement the decision that would be reached at the technical meeting and gave an assurance that Niger would abide by the agreement.

    The minister was accompanied by the Secretary-General, Niger-Nigeria Joint Commission, Mr. Abubakar Suleiman, and other top government functionaries from Niger.

  • Nigeria to Cameroon: Lagdo dam flood claimed 49 lives

    Nigeria to Cameroon: Lagdo dam flood claimed 49 lives

    As part of steps to check flood menace this year, the Federal Government on Thursday opened talks with Cameroon on how to avert uncontrolled release of water from Lagdo Dam.

    It pleaded with Cameroon to control the release of water from the dam.

    The government said the release of water from the dam caused flood that claimed more than 49 lives and displaced over 91,000 last year.

    Also, the government said about 117, 978 structures were destroyed and 16 local government areas ravaged.

    The Minister of Water Resources, Mrs. Sarah Ochekpe, who led a high-powered delegation to Yaounde for an MoU talks with Cameroon Minister of Water Reources and Energy, Basie Atangana Kouna, said if Lagdo Dam flood is not checked, it would affect more Nigerians.

    The delegation included Nigeria’s High Commissioner to Cameroon, Hajiya Hadiza Mustapha and Commissioners for Water Resources from Kogi, Adamawa, Taraba and Benue States.

    Ochekpe said: “It is worthwhile to mention that due to extensive rainfall and releases from the dam, the downstream areas of the dam in Nigeria had experienced periodic flooding.

    “As at December 14, 2012, the total number of Internally Displaced Persons in Adamawa State was 949 while 45, 253 structures were destroyed.

    “The devastating flood in Taraba State, which affected about 37 communities claimed 27 lives and displaced 34, 393 persons amongst others.

    “Three persons were reported dead and over 25,000 were displaced, property worth billions of naira in Makurdi, and seven Local Governmnt Areas in Benue State were lost.

    “Persistent torrential rainfall and compelling release of water from Lagdo, Kainji and Jebba dams led to massive flooding of 335 communities in nine LGAs of Kogi State including Ajaokuta, Bassa, Lokoja, Kogi, Omala, Idah, Ibaji, Igalamela and Ofu.

    “The flood affected 72,725 people in the state, 19 lost their lives, 30, 709 were displaced and disruption of businesses and livelihoods brought down infrastructure and public institutions.”

    The minister said the situation would be worse if Cameroon does not cooperate with Nigeria.

     

     

     

  • 60% Nigerians ‘have access’ to potable water

    60% Nigerians ‘have access’ to potable water

    Sixty per cent of Nigerians had access to potable water at as December 2011 as against the 58 per cent in 2010, according to the Federal Ministry of Water Resources.

    The statistics was contained in 2011 Monitoring, Evaluation and Performance report on Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) issued by the National Planning Commission in Abuja.

    The report, which was released to journalists in Abuja on Thursday, stated that 40 per cent of the country’s population had access to improved sanitation and hygiene within the period under review.

    “The population having access to potable water was 58 per cent at the baseline year, but rose to 60 per cent as at December 2011.”

    It noted that the provision of potable water over the years had been a challenge, in spite of the abundance of water resources in the country.

    The report stressed the need for more enabling policies in subsequent years for accelerated attainment of the MDG and Vision 20:2020 targets.

    “The average walking distance to source of potable water from dwellings is an important outcome that should be measured in the future as no data has been obtained on it yet.

    “The number of water quality tests carried out in different locations had a baseline of 1,850 with 3,050 carried out by December 2011, but falling short of the intended target of 5,520,’’ the News Agency of Nigeria quoted the report as saying on Thursday.

    It said the quality of sanitation facilities available to a household or community was part of the determinants of the quality of life of the people.

     

  • 2013 Children day celebration

    2013 Children day celebration

  • FG alerts states, communities on impending flood

    FG alerts states, communities on impending flood

    The Federal Government has alerted states and communities living in flood prone areas on impending flooding as the raining season advances.

    To this effect, the government has advised the affected states and communities to take precautionary measures against heavy flood which may result from torrential rainfall as well as opening of the Lagdo Dam by the Cameroonian authorities.

    It will be recalled that Cameroon opened its overflowing Lagdo Dam during the rainy season last year, which caused heavy flooding in many states and communities in Nigeria.

    The flood claimed several lives and property worth millions of naira and rendered thousands of Nigerians homeless.

    Many of the victims are yet to recover from the disaster with a good number of them still living in resettlement camps in different parts of the country.

    A statement signed by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe, on Tuesday said the warning was issued by the Minister of Water Resources, Mrs. Sarah Ochekpe.

    Quoting Mrs. Ochekpe, the statement said “in view of the fact that the Kashimbilla multi-purpose dam being constructed by the Federal Government in Taraba State to reduce the impact of water released from Cameroon is not yet completed, there is a need for concerted efforts by state governments to mitigate the likely effect of the large volume of water that may be released from the Cameroonian dam in the peak of the raining season.

    “While stating that Nigeria and Cameroon have reached a substantial level of understanding on how to prevent an occurrence of the devastation caused to Nigerian communities last year, the Water Resources Minister urged state governments to complement this initiative by clearing drainages and evacuating people from flood plains in their states.

    “She also disclosed that work is at various advanced stages on 23 dam projects which the President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration embarked upon to provide safe water for different communities, irrigation for farmers and generate additional megawatts for the power sector in the country.”

    Ochekpe was similarly quoted to have said that six of the dams located in Imo, Ondo, Katsina, Abia, and the Federal Capital Territory are ready for commissioning, while the Kashimbilla multi- purpose dam will be ready before the next raining season.