FG inaugurates inter-ministerial panel to assess conditions of dams

By Gabriel Ewepu

AS the rains and floods continue to pound parts of the country, the federal government yesterday inaugurated an inter-ministerial technical committee on dam evaluations.

The inauguration was approved by President Bola Tinubu in the quest to assess the physical conditions of dams across the nation in order to ensure their usefulness, safety and impact on communities.

The committee members include Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Engr Joseph Utsev, as chairman; Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun; Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris; Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Atiku Bagudu; Minister of Works, Dave Umahi; National Security Adviser, NSA, Nuhu Ribadu; and Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Musa Dangiwa.

During the inaugural meeting, the Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Engr. Joseph Utsev, emphasized that the committee was basically to ensure the government mitigated life-threatening impacts on the people, environment and economy.

According to Utsev, the committee is tasked with the responsibility of providing a comprehensive evaluation of dams, proposing interventions and ensuring that communities affected by dams were protected from potential hazards.

He said: “You recall that at the recent Federal Executive Council, FEC, meeting held on Monday, September 23, 2024, the unfortunate tragedy that affected parts of Maiduguri and environs in Borno State was critically reviewed.

”The meeting saw the need to set-up a Disaster Relief Fund to help address instances of national disaster(s) without recourse to subjecting the victims to untold hardship before putting measures in place to mitigate its impact and possibly guard against future occurrences.

“To help achieve the objectives of establishing the fund, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu approved the constitution of an inter-ministerial technical committee on evaluation of dams in Nigeria.

”The technical committee has the overall primary objectives of evaluating the physical condition of dams, assessing the social and environmental implications of dams on local communities, and draw-up a program to address the challenges of dams in the country.

”The committee’s specific terms of reference are equally provided to guide our discussions today.  The ministry in due course, will co-opt technical experts to help the committee discharge its assignment effectively.”

Also speaking, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, said: “That’s why we are here to assess the flood situation and evaluate the dams, so we can develop a solution.  You can see the calibre of the committee members involved.

“The president’s goal is to improve the lives of all Nigerians and everything we are doing here is aimed at conducting on-the-ground evaluations.”

Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Atiku Bagudu, disclosed that the the federal government has approved the ‘Renewed Hope Infrastructure Fund’ to rehabilitate dams and irrigation facilities across the country.

Similarly, the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister, Wale Edun, explained that the committee’s major aim and objective was to implement a multifaceted approach that would guarantee the safety and security of communities.

According to him, this is imperative, especially coming amid climate change, which requires urgent interventions on resilient and necessary climate actions.