Posted on May 11, 2021
The federal government has been urged to dredge the River Niger to prevent perennial flooding in the North-Central states with the attendant loss of crops.
The coordinator of Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria in Kwara State, Mallam Ahmed Saba, made the call in an interview with LEADERSHIP Weekend in Ilorin.
Saba said dredging of the river would ensure free flow of water from upper Niger to lower Niger.
He said if the dredging was done before the rainy season fully sets in, it would give rice farmers along the river banks the opportunity to plant rice three times in a year, thereby ensuring food security and providing job opportunities.
He said the exercise would also enable fisher men and transporters to earn a living through the river.
He appealed to the northern states governors to support the federal government in actualising the long overdue dredging of the River Niger.
