Tinubu Govt Declares National Emergency

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has declared a national emergency on food security, urging African nations to adopt innovative strategies to tackle irrigation and water management challenges across the continent.

Naija News understands that the declaration was made on Monday during the opening of the 6th African Regional Conference on Irrigation and Drainage in Abuja, where the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, represented him.

Tinubu emphasized that addressing the challenges in irrigation and water management was critical to achieving sustainable agriculture and economic resilience in Africa.

“Africa continues to face major challenges in unlocking its irrigation potential due to inadequate infrastructure, financial constraints, climate change, and governance issues,” he said. He described the conference’s theme, “Tackling Irrigation Development and Water Management Crisis in Africa,” as a call to action, urging participants to work collectively towards solutions.

Highlighting Nigeria’s irrigation potential, the president noted that the country has more than 3.1 million hectares of irrigable land located near key river basins such as the Niger and Benue rivers.

He further stressed the need for expanded irrigation infrastructure and participatory water resource management to support national food security.

Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Joseph Utsev, also addressed the conference, announcing that Nigeria’s Transforming Irrigation Management in Nigeria (TRIMING) project had achieved significant progress.

He revealed that the successor initiative, the Sustainable Power and Irrigation for Nigeria (SPIN) project, would build on TRIMING’s successes and address remaining gaps to optimize the economic value of water resources.

“The TRIMING project, which lasted over seven years, led to the completion of the Dadin-Kowa and Bakolori irrigation schemes and nearly completed the Middle Rima Valley irrigation project,” Utsev explained. The project also helped develop Water Users Associations (WUAs), supported market linkages for crops like rice and tomato, and encouraged private sector investment through River Basin Development Authorities (RBDAs).

Utsev also referenced the 2025 Flood Outlook and Risk Management Strategy, which aims to minimize flood-related impacts on agriculture.

The Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Didi Wilson-Jack, called for renewed commitment from all levels of government to ensure national food security.

Former Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Water Resources, Godknows Igali, highlighted the urgency of strategic planning in light of Nigeria’s growing population and stressed the need for proper management of river basins.