Bauchi State has launched a massive N29.69 billion erosion and flood control project, supported by the World Bank, to protect over 213,000 residents.
Segun Awofadeji in Bauchi Bauchi State Governor, Senator Bala Abdukadir Mohammed, has flagged off a N29.69 billion flood and erosion control project aimed at protecting Bauchi metropolis from worsening gully erosion and storm-water damage.. THISDAY reports that the project, under the World Bank-funded Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes initiative (ACReSAL), is to protect a total of 213,000 people affected by the flood and erosion control measures including stabilisation and channelisation project from Tsohon Kampani to
Gwallagan Mayaka in Bauchi LGA of Bauchi State.. It is being implemented jointly by the federal government, Bauchi State Government, and ACReSAL.. Governor Bala Mohammed, at the groundbreaking ceremony yesterday, said the state had paid 40 per cent of the contract sum as mobilisation to Triacta Nigeria Limited and had the full amount ready.. The governor who urged the contractor to deliver on schedule, saying there would be no excuse for delay, said “This event
is far more than the commencement of a construction project.” According to him, “It represents another bold milestone in our administration’s commitment to sustainable development, environmental protection, urban renewal, public health, economic growth, and the well-being of our people.” The governor said stormwater pathways in the area had grown into erosion corridors up to 60 meters wide and 50 meters deep, destroying homes, farmlands, roads, and livelihoods.. He said the intervention is expected to restore
9,842 hectares of degraded land and provide protection for more than 213,000 residents.. He described the project as a key part of the Bauchi Urban Renewal Project and Bauchi Project II, both designed to modernise infrastructure and build climate-resilient communities.. Mohammed stressed the importance of community involvement in implementation and monitoring, saying, “deepening stakeholding means ensuring that those you think are nothing are part and parcel of project.” The Project Coordinator of the project, Dr..
Ibrahim Kabir, in his remarks at the groundbreaking ceremony said the project, under ACReSAL is to protect a total of 213,000 people affected by the flood and erosion control measures including stabilisation and channelisation project from Tsohon Kampani to Gwallagan Mayaka in Bauchi LGA of the state.. According to him, “This is the most difficult and the most challenging project that we are executing, and you are breaking or you are performing the ground-breaking today..
“Why am I saying this, Your Excellency?. It’s one time of the project that from the commencement of the actualisation, we were unable to trace any report or any attempt of this project from the previous governments.. His Excellency started all over from the conceptualisation up to the implementation.. Your Excellency, if I can put it in the context, what you are going to do today or what we are commencing today, Your Excellency, you
are changing lives.. You are restoring livelihoods.. Your Excellency, you are adding value to over 213,000 residents that are on this corridor from Tsohon Kampani to Gwallagan Mayaka,” he added.. He added that,”Your Excellency, I invited these community leaders to be with me because we have been working from the commencement of ACReSAL in the year 2022 up to today, trying to engage all the communities that are on the corridor, conducting the resettlement action
plan, identifying vulnerable communities, and also identifying people that are going to be affected by this project.” Kabir further stated, “Your Excellency, these gentlemen by my side have been our mediators between the ACReSAL project and the entire beneficiaries, as I mentioned, over 213.. 000,,people are to benefit.. “Your Excellency, based on the RAP assessment that we have conducted, this is one of the biggest projects ever implemented by ACReSAL in Nigeria.. Your Excellency, the
community leaders are now the side management committee.. We know you are a principle of engaging the communities to supervise their job ownership.” ACReSAL National Project Coordinator Abdulhamid Umar, represented by Engr.. Ugo O.. Albert, called the groundbreaking a major step in tackling flooding, erosion, land degradation, and other climate threats facing vulnerable communities.. He said the project would safeguard lives, infrastructure, and the environment while supporting sustainable landscape management.. Umar commended Mohammed’s support for
ACReSAL and urged contractors and consultants to maintain high standards of quality, safety, and professionalism in line with approved designs and timelines.. The ceremony was also attended by officials from the federal ministries of Environment, Water Resources, and Agriculture, the World Bank, and traditional and community leaders.
Bauchi flood control, ACReSAL project, Bala Mohammed, erosion control Nigeria, World Bank project Bauchi, sustainable infrastructure, urban renewal