FG, JICA partner to provide rural water supply in Nigeria

The Federal Government has partnered the Japanese International Cooperation (JICA) to provide water to rural communities in five states of Niger, Taraba, Kebbi, Ondo and Enugu.

The Minister of Water Resource, Sarah Reng Ochekpe, who made this known at the weekend in Minna, Niger State, during the commissioning and handing over ceremony of some drilling equipment for the project to the states, also noted that the partnership had earlier provided 788 hand pump boreholes to rural communities in Oyo, Kano, Yobe, Katsina and Bauchi states.

Ochekpe said the Japanese Government, through its agency in Nigeria, JICA, agreed to provide assistance in form of Grant-In-Aid for Rural Water Supply and Sanitation to Nigerian Government in response to the earlier plea for assistance by the federal government.

She noted that since 2002 till date, JICA has approved Grant-InAid of 710 million Japanese Yen for the construction of 100 boreholes equipped with hand pumps in 16 local governments in Oyo State, 356 million Yen for provision of 240 boreholes in 33 local governments in Kano State, 265 million Yen for construction of 89 boreholes in 17 local governments of Yobe State, 505 million Yen for the construction of boreholes in Katsina and Bauchi states.

“Recently government of Japan approved a Grant-In- Aid of 1.1630 billion Japanese Yen to support project for Water Supply Development in Niger, Taraba, Kebbi, Ondo and Enugu states. The amount was used to procure complete set of drilling equipment and accessories for the five states,” she added.

According to Ochekpe, the equipment was handed over to the benefiting states, urging the benefiting states to maintain them.

She added that JICA has granted assistance of 160 million Yen to strengthen capacity and development of National Water Resources Institute, Kaduna.

The minister called on the benefiting states to send their officers to the National Water Resources Institute, Kaduna, for training.

Mr. Ryuichi Shoji, Japanese Ambassador to Nigeria, said that the government of Japan was committed to partnering with Federal Government of Nigeria to ensure adequate water supply to rural areas, adding that water supply is very important in socio-economic development of a country.

Earlier, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Water Resources, Baba Umar Faruk, represented by Engineer Rufus Onyeanusi, a deputy director in the ministry, said that the programme will go a long way in solving water supply and sanitation problems in the rural areas of the benefiting states.