The Federal Government of Nigeria through the Honourable Minister of the Federal Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation, Prof Joseph Terlumun Utsev, has inaugurated the Steering Committee of the Sustainable Power and Irrigation For Nigeria (SPIN) Project.
This took place in Abuja on Friday at the inaugural meeting of the Steering Committee.
Through the SPIN Project, the Federal Government intends to boost water resources management, irrigation development, and hydropower generation in the country.
While Prof Utsev is the SPIN Steering Committee Chairman and to be Co-chaired by the Minister of Power, other members included Minister of Agriculture and Food Security; Minister of Environment; Minister of Budget and Economic Planning; State’s Commissioners of Water Resources and Agriculture from participating States; and the Secretary of the Committee is the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation.
Prof Utsev said the project will serve as a critical step in implementing a key strategic initiative of President Bola Tinubu administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
According to him, it embodies a significant convergence of national priorities of Agriculture, Water, and Energy security into a unified and integrated platform for development.
With the support from the World Bank and active participation of State Governments, the Minister noted that the project aims at unlocking Nigeria’s substantial irrigation potential, modernize vital water infrastructure, and enhance the resilience of the various communities to environmental changes.
The Federal Government, he said, "Strategically designed the Sustainable Power and Irrigation for Nigeria Project in collaboration with the World Bank Group, which is supported by a loan facility of USD 500 million.
"The project seeks to address critical national priorities in the areas of water resources management, irrigation development, and hydropower generation through an integrated and multi-sectoral approach involving stakeholders at both the Federal and State levels under two models (Model 1 and Model 2)."
Prof Utsev further disclosed that the SPIN project has four key components including Institutional Strengthening, Irrigation Modernization, Dam Safety and Operational Improvements, and Effective Project Management.
The key components, the Minister said, are patterned to enhance national capacity to facilitate the delivery of large-scale, multi-purpose infrastructure for irrigation and hydropower, while ensuring sustainable water governance.
While a call at conceptualization was made to all the State Governments and the Federal Capital Territory to express interest in participating in either of the two adopted models, the Minister said, 34 States indicated interest, and 27 pledged to fulfil the conditions for readiness.
But as at Friday 9th May, 2025, Prof Utsev added "I have been made to understand that 17 States are qualified, having met the following 3 eligibility conditions:
"(i) enacted a State-level Water Users Association’s law;
(ii) have a budget line appropriated for Operation & Maintenance support to the Water Users Association in the State; and
(iii) established Counterpart Funding for the project."
"We can confidently say that these States can now participate in either of the two implementation models as chosen by them:
"(i) Model 1: Focus on the Federal (River Basin Development Authority-managed) schemes in partnership with interested States; and
"(ii) Model 2: Targets State-owned irrigation schemes with demonstrated readiness and commitment." he stated
Prof Utsev went on "It is interesting to note that the State Governments we have identified demonstrated a strong commitment by participating proactively and collaborating with the Federal Government to ascertain their readiness towards achieving the strategic objectives of the Project.
"The criteria-based and transparent selection process adopted throughout the exercise reflected our shared commitment to coming up with the seventeen (17) States that qualified to participate in the project.
"The project has a clear institutional arrangement that defines the roles to be played by each entity as contained in the project operation documents."
The SPIN project, the Minister said, is an attempt by the Federal Government to build on the results achieved under the Transforming Irrigation Management in Nigeria (TRIMING) Project.
He said "As we are all aware, Nigeria is committed to improving its food, water, and energy security, and with the use of the Irrigate Nigeria Project, we can achieve the vision of having an estimated 500,000 ha irrigated agriculture, 30 Gigawatts of sustainable energy, and improved resilience to floods, droughts, and climate change.
"It is in line with the objectives of irrigating Nigeria that the Federal Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation piloted the Transforming Irrigation Management in Nigeria Project, commonly referred to as the “TRIMING Project”, as part of the Federal Government’s recent efforts to reform and improve the irrigation sector and its governance.
"The TRIMING Project pioneered transformative management initiatives and introduced the training and empowerment of the Water User Associations (WUAs) to participate in the Management, Operations, and Maintenance of the irrigation schemes.
"The project recorded a remarkable success story, as the Management Operation and Maintenance model was used by the WUAs to rehabilitate about 32,000 ha of large-scale irrigation schemes, which significantly enhanced food production and created positive impacts on the livelihood of especially rural farmers."
He disclosed that the Steering Committee will serve as the apex policy and decision-making body for the Project.
"On behalf of the entire Project Steering Committee, I reaffirm our unwavering commitment to the objectives of this initiative, which represents not merely a development programme, but a vital instrument for enhancing national food security, promoting rural livelihoods, and strengthening Nigeria’s resilience to the impacts of climate variability.
"In conclusion, I am confident that with the full cooperation of all stakeholders, the Sustainable Power Irrigated Nigeria Project will contribute significantly to the modernization of our irrigation sector and the safety of our dams and communities.
"These will help to deliver the large-scale multi-purpose infrastructure for irrigation and hydro-power components to the revitalization of our rural economy, and realization of Nigeria’s long-term development goals." he said
On his part, the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Sen Abubakar Kyari, expressed appreciation to the World Bank for the wonderful work it has been doing in Nigeria.
Stressing that the SPIN project is a welcome one, he was optimistic that Nigeria will soon be sufficient in power and food.
The Minister of Power represented by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Mahmud Mamman, noted that hydro plants has lower cost of maintenance and can run up to 50 years once established.
He called all members of the Steering Committee to show the desired commitment to the SPIN project.
Also speaking earlier, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation, Mr. Richard Pheelangwah, was optimistic that much will be achieved under the SPIN project as great experience was gained under the TRIMING Project
He said "Before now, there was an Interim Project Preparatory Team, which dedicated a lot of time and energy to develop the necessary operational documents for the effective implementation of the Project.
"These documents have provided all the roles and responsibilities expected of each of the key players in the project implementation. Going forward, the documents will help all the stakeholders to navigate through all the components of the project for effective and smooth execution.
"As the Secretariat of this Steering Committee, I assure you that we will be readily available to provide the needed support to every member of the Committee for the smooth implementation of the project." he stated
The Permanent Secretary expressed appreciation to President Bola Tinubu, for providing the opportunity to drive another crucial initiative towards achieving the "Renewed Hope Agenda"
Representative of the World Bank, Engr Chinedu Emodu, congratulated the government of Nigeria over the project.
He also commended the commitments of the various ministries to bring the project to reality.