Jama’are Sets-up Expert Committee, Says to Complete Wanzamai Dam after Metro Daily Nigeria Story

By Yakubu Salisu, Kano

The Hadejia Jama’are River Basin Development Authority while reacting to Metro Daily Nigeria Story on abandoned Wanzamai Gezawa Earth Dam Constituency Project, said it has set up expert committees and doing everything within it’s mandate to see that the abandoned project reaches its final stage.

It will be recalled that Metro Daily Nigeria had in July reported that despite gulping over N192,072,827.41 the Wanzamai Gezawa Small Earth Dam constituency project lies in ruins seven years without completion.

In a letter written to Metro Daily Nigeria by the Assistant Director (Public Relations), Salisu B. Hamzat on Thursday, for the Managing Director Hadejia Jama’are River Basin Development Authority said;

“Like many other constituency projects, the Wanzamai Gezawa Earth Dam was faced with problem of delay in release of funds especially as a result of the expiration of the tenure of the Senator that initiated the Project.

Nevertheless, about 95% of the project was completed before the authority received formal complains from the Communities living close to the dam that some houses and farmlands were flooded and therefore pleaded that the water should be drained to avoid further destructions.

However, on 24th July, 2021, Metro Daily Nigeria released a publication on its pages titled ‘Seven Years After and N200 Million Spent, Kano Earth Dam Project Remains Abandoned‘ showing concern that after spending huge amount of Public funds, the Wanzamai earth dam is not in any way being utilized by the public.

It further reads; “Owing to this Publication therefore, the Managing Director of Hadejia Jama’are River Basin Development Authority formed an expert committee comprising of civil and irrigation engineers to visit the project site and report all issues related to the project and the committee did it’s final site visit on 30th September, 2021.

In view of the foregoing, the Metro Daily Nigeria Newspaper and the general public need to be informed that the Hadejia Jama’are River Basin Development Authority is doing everything within it’s mandate and even using other relevant stakeholders to see that the project reaches its final stage and put into maximum use”.

Speaking on the development, the secretary, Wanzamai dry season farmers Association, Abbas Abdullahi said; “We were surprised to see officials of Jama’are River Basin Development Authority visiting the earth dam site”.

We have sought for help on the completion of the project but to no avail. However, the recent report by Metro Daily Nigeria which exposed the condition and position of the dam brought them back.

They came and had talks with us and prominent leaders in the village, we hope that with this development, the project would be completed and put to use for maximum utilization,” he added.