Nigeria’s Ministry of Water Resources in what appears predominant practices that have helped undermine the country’s development has abandoned N336.6 million dam project in Katsina State.
Under the deal, Water Resources Ministry in the 2022 budget, allocated the sum of N336.6 million for the construction of Jare Earth Dam in Bakori Local Government Area of Katsina.
For the purpose of this project that has since been abandoned, over 200 indigenous persons in Katsina lost their lands and means of livelihood. Worse still, they were not adequately compensated with some of them alleging they got as little as N1,000 as compensation for their lands.
In a letter written and signed by Mr. Dahiru Musa and Mr. Rabi’u Ahmad on behalf of the community, the indigenous persons accused the government of taking over their lands without compensation.
They, however, disclosed that despite the indigenous persons’ reliance on their lands that were taken over by the Water Resource Ministry for the abandoned dam project, the highest compensation amount was N654,450. An amount they say cannot in any way be regarded as compensation for their lands.
The project that has since been abandoned despite N336.3 million allocations was awarded 18 years ago in 2005, MAWA-Foundation learned.
A visit to the community by Tracka, a public accountability organization, shows that despite monies allocated to the project, Water Resource Ministry has since abandoned it.
Community residents say apart from the survey carried out by the Water Resources Ministry two years ago, nothing has been done about the project, it has since remained abandoned.
Water Resources Ministry has a history of abandoning projects after monies have been allocated and paid for them. MAWA Foundation had last year reported how the ministry in collaboration with the Lower Benue River Basin Development Authority abandoned N47 million road construction at Kilankwa community in Kwali Area Council of Federal Capital Territory (FCT).