Kelechi Esogwa-Amadi
The Minister of Water Resources, Engr Suleiman Adamu, on Tuesday, commissioned the Rumuji Regional Water Project at Rumuji, Emohua Local Government Area of Rivers State.
He also commissioned a new head office extension built by the Niger Delta Basin Development Authority (NDBDA) at its Azikiwe Road, Port Harcourt headquarters.
In his speech before the commissioning, the Minister of Water Resources, Engr Suleiman Adamu, commended the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of NDBDA, Engr Tonye David-West for his effort at initiating and completing the projects.
He said the office extension facility would create the enabling environment for the management to achieve other goals of the Authority in line with vision of the River Basin development policy of the federal government.
While debunking the rumour that the federal government was planning to sell the River Basins, the honourable minister said that food security remained the main reason behind the establishment of the River Basins and urged the NDBDA management to be more development-focused.
Engr Suleiman Adamu said: ‘’This is the first step. When you have a conducive atmosphere to work, then the work is next. For me, it is very important that we continue with our mandate of supporting the quest for food security in this country that has been the hallmark of the Buhari administration.
‘’We have been trying in the last few years to ensure that River Basins are no longer procurement agencies but we have to be more developmental. These were the main reasons the River Basins were established, so that they become development agencies, not just to award small small contracts. And that is why we have been insisting that we want to see more of what you are doing in terms of agricultural development in this country.’’
Earlier in his address, the MD/CEO of Niger Delta Basin Development Authority, Engr Tonye David-West, thanked the minister for coming to commission the projects.
He explained that the execution of the projects was part of the mandate given to the current management of NDBDA when they were being inaugurated two years ago, adding that lack of funds had been the major challenge of his administration.
Engr Tonye David-West however assured the minister that the NDBDA management would keep working hard to actualise the mandate given them within the available resources at their disposal.
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