By Abdullahi Shugaba
Dutse – The Jigawa Forum has appealed to the Federal Government to complete and expand the Hadejia Valley Irrigation Project (HVIP) so as to boost agriculture and ensure the country’s food security.
The Chairman of Jigawa Forum, Prof. Muhammed Tabiu, made the appeal in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Dutse on Tuesday, while commenting on the two-day visit of President Muhammadu Buhari to the state.
Tabiu, who is a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), recalled that the HVIP started in Auyo, headquarters of Auyo Local Government Area, about 30 years ago.
He said that in spite of the current efforts of the Federal Government to rehabilitate the HVIP, the project was still in its first phase, which represented only 20 per cent of the planned project.
Tabiu stressed that the project had huge economic potential and benefits for the state and the country at large.
He also appealed to the Federal Government to rehabilitate the three federal roads in the state so as to facilitate the movement of goods and services across the state.
Tabiu listed the roads as the Gaya-Kafin Hausa road, the Kwanar Dumawa-Kanya Babba-Babura road, the Kano-Gumel-Maigatari road; saying that all the roads were in a derelict state.
NAN reports that Jigawa Forum is a non-governmental and non-partisan platform for discourse and partnerships over development issues relating to the state and its membership cuts across all strata of the society.
Members of the Forum include academics, civil servants, entrepreneurs, religious leaders and traditional rulers, among others. (NAN)