The President, Muhammadu Buhari has approved the sum of N24bn for a smart modular irrigation project by the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure.
Executive Vice Chairman of NASENI, Professor Mohammed Haruna, disclosed this to State House Correspondents shortly after meeting with the President at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja.
He noted that the funding approval would be channeled to the modular irrigation system.
“The monies are for the pumps, the structure, the farming techniques, the farmers, the officers, the offices that are needed, the vehicles, and the administrative management, up to the period that we will have this demonstration farm, using modular irrigation system first model.
The NASENI Chief also revealed that the agency has acquired 10-hectare farmland on lease in Adamawa State and will use water from River Benue, where the pilot scheme will kick off in October.
“First model in the sense that this one we’re drawing water from River Benue, of course, solar-powered,” he said.
“The application of these funds is in some priority projects approved by the government. The capital components include payment of 15 per cent of the local counterpart funding for three key projects in the Power sector; the development and production of solar cells locally; development and production of electric power transformers and the third one is high voltage testing laboratory.
“Now, these are projects with 85 per cent funding support from China, which is part of what is approved and being implemented in the 2021/2022 Borrowing Plan. That is number one and in that, out of the $48,879,103, representing 15 per cent of what Nigeria is paying as the 15 per cent counterpart funding based on the money remitted to NASENI in the first and third quarters. $23,928,063 had been remitted in these two quarters.
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