Guardian

THE nine Irrigation Project Schemes (IPS) at Konduga in Borno State are aimed at harnessing the rich agricultural resource of the state and address “poverty and unemployment” among youths and farmers, and halt rural-urban migration, Governor Kashim Shettima has declared.

He spoke at Konduga while flagging-off the vegetable seeds distribution and inspection of Konduga Irrigation Scheme (KOIS) at the weekend.

He said that now that government had established KOIS for farmers along with the distribution of farm inputs, including high-yielding seeds of vegetables, youth unemployment would be reduced.

The other eight irrigation projects, he added, were sited at Jere, Shani, Akira/Uba, Jaffi, Ngabu, Valengede, Monguno and Mobbar, 187 kilometres north of Maiduguri, the state capital.

“Now that this administration has identified poverty and unemployment as twin factors that lead to youth restiveness, we will leave no stone unturned in order to economically transform their lives with the scarce resources at our disposal,” he said.

He, therefore, urged the farmers to reciprocate the government’s gesture by making good use of the irrigation scheme.

In his brief remarks at the occasion, the Commissioner of Agriculture and Natural Resource, Alhaji Usman Zanna said: “The 25 hectares of irrigated farmland comprise of 120 plots of various irrigated farmlands of 1,000 to 1, 500 square metres each for the cultivation of onions, pepper, lettuce, cabbage, carrots and wheat which has a very high demand in the state.”

Other irrigation schemes to be established, he added, were sited at

Valengede, Ngabu and Jaffi in Borno south Senatorial district.