The Honourable Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Engr. Prof. Joseph Terlumun Utsev, has reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to the speedy implementation of the Sustainable Power and Irrigation for Nigeria (SPIN) Project in line with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda on food security and sustainable development.
This took place on Thursday in Abuja during a meeting with the World Bank implementation Team.
The Honourable Minister, accompanied by the Permanent Secretary, Dr.Emanso Umobong, received the World Bank delegation led by Zacharias Ziegelhofer alongside team members Parvin and Chinedu Umolu during the strategic meeting.
Also in attendance were key Technical Directors of the Ministry, including the Director of Dams and Reservoir Operations, Engr. Ali Ibrahim Dallah; the Director of Irrigation and Drainage, Engr. Oyeronke Oluniyi; the Director of River Basin Operations and Inspectorate, Engr. Christy Oduh; heads of the Ministry’s technical units on Irrigation and Drainage and Dams; representative of the Ministry of Power; as well as the National Coordinator of the SPIN Project, Ipinlaye Olaiya, alongside other members of the SPIN Project team.
Discussions during the meeting, according to Mrs. Funmi Imuetinyan, Director Information and PR, centred on the World Bank mission to "review progress under the SPIN Project, strengthen institutional coordination, enhance procurement processes, accelerate implementation activities, and upscale project delivery across participating states."
The meeting also emphasized the importance of capacity building, technical readiness, and improved operational efficiency to ensure the smooth and timely implementation of the project.
Engr. Prof. Utsev, (middle), accompanied by the Permanent Secretary, Dr. Emanso Umobong (2nd R), and the World Bank team comprising Zacharias Ziegelhofer (2nd L), Parvin (L), and Chinedu Umolu (R), during a group photograph at the meeting