THROUGH the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC), the Federal Government has taken steps end perennial flooding of communities in Nigeria by the release of water from Lagdo Dam in Cameroon.
The commission’s acting Head, Media and Publicity, Ifeanyi Nwoko, said the construction of the Dasin Hausa Dam is being accelerated.
The intervention, Nwoko said, will end decades of devastating floods affecting residents in Taraba, Adamawa, Benue and other river basin communities.
He noted that the dam, designed in the 1980s as a strategic buffer against floods caused by the release of water from Lagdo Dam by the Cameroonian authority, had been stalled for over 40 years, resulting in recurring humanitarian crises.
The ICRC recently convened a high-level meeting with the Federal Ministry of Water Resources and Mainstream Energy Solutions Limited to advance the project through a Public-Private Partnership (PPP).
The session, led by ICRC Director-General, Dr. Jobson Oseodion Ewalefoh, reviewed implementation timelines, addressed regulatory concerns, and identified immediate actions to expedite construction.
Ewalefoh emphasised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s directive for innovative private-sector participation in critical infrastructure, highlighting that the Dasin Hausa Dam would mitigate annual flooding disasters, generate over 300 megawatts of electricity, and provide irrigation to more than 150,000 hectares of farmland in Adamawa, Taraba, and Benue states.
He said: “The completion of Dasin Hausa Dam is not just about stopping floods – it’s about securing our future,” Dr Ewalefoh stated.
“We have witnessed enough devastation from floodwaters released from Cameroon’s Lagdo Dam. This dam will protect communities, preserve livelihoods, boost industrial growth, and create thousands of jobs through enhanced irrigation farming and stable power supply.”
Lamu Audu of Mainstream Energy Solutions expressed the company’s commitment to mobilising private-sector funds and technical expertise for the dam’s completion.
He confirmed strong interest from international financiers, donor agencies, and the World Bank in supporting the project.
The Ministry of Water Resources assured stakeholders of its full support and agreed to set clear timelines to resolve all outstanding issues swiftly.
