Kaduna State Government says it has concluded arrangements to build a dam on the 800,000 hectares forest between Buruku and Birnin-Gwari towns.
Director-General of Kaduna State Urban Planning and Development Agency KASUPDA, Malam Ismail Umaru-Dikko announced this at the Business Expo marking the commencement of the 7th edition of the annual Kaduna Investment Summit held in Kaduna.
Malam Dikko said the Dam project when completed would help in addressing the challenges of insecurity in the state.
He explained that, the planned Dam, will also be utilized for agriculture, especially during the dry season.
According to him, Buruku to Birnin-Gwari have been experiencing armed robbery from time immemorial.
” It moved to cattle rustling and now kidnapping and banditry. So, we feel something must happen there. We have a very massive land that has never been utilized there and that is why we cannot just fold our arms and allow criminals to continue to take advantage of the blessed land”
“So we came up with the master plan and discovered that, from Buruku to Birnin-Gwari, we have close to 800,000 hectares of land, which is about two states in another part of the country.
“Presently, Kaduna is just like a drainage for the water, which is coming from Bauchi, passing through to Shiroro Dam”
He noted also that the water sometimes cause flood in some part of the state , adding that as way of finding lasting solution, a dam will be built to save the water.
Also Speaking, the Administrator of Kafanchan Metropolitan Authority, Mrs Phoebe Sukai Yayi said the Municipal has vast opportunities in agriculture.
She however called on investors to visit Southern part of the state to invest in Agro value chain such as jinger ,maize , yam , rubber , sorghum among others.
According to Yayi kaduna state contributes fifty percent of ginger production in Nigeria, hence the need for the investors to invest in ginger farming and processing.
Mrs Phoebe Yayi however disclosed that, five hectares is currently being cultivated for rubber and Kafanchan Municipal Authority is looking to improve cultivation from 50-100 hectares.
COV/AMINU DALHATU