FG, Borno flag off N80 billion Alau Dam reconstruction, upgrade project
By Tada Juthan, Maiduguri
The federal and Borno State governments have flagged off an N80 billion Alau Dam reconstruction and upgrade project to boost potable water supply, irrigation farming, and food security in the state.
The 39-year-old dam collapse followed the September 10, 2024, flood disasters that hit the Maiduguri metropolis and Jere local council area, with the massive destruction of lives and property.
The dam’s collapse was attributed to continuous rainfall last year, which led to the overflowing of the River Yedzaram and its tributary, the Ngadda River.
Launching the reconstruction dam project on Saturday in Maiduguri, the Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Prof. Joseph Utsve, said, “Today’s event followed the presentation of the Borno state flood committee report to President Bola Tinubu in January this year.
Tinubu studied the report and graciously approved N80 billion for the reconstruction and upgrade of the collapsed dam with three washed-away dykes.”
Highlighting the scope of the dam, he said it will have new auxiliary spillways with three dykes to restore the dam’s functionality for households and irrigation schemes in the Chad Basin.
He added that the water project, which is to be implemented in two phases, will commence from March to September 2025 in mitigating flood risks in Maiduguri, including Konduga, Jere, and Mafa communities.
According to the minister, the phase two project implementation continued into October this year, to the completion stage of reconstruction and desilting of the dam in February 2026.
Utsve said that the completion of the project will also raise the President’s Renewed Hope Initiatives, stating, “The envisaged infrastructural facilities of this dam will ensure preventative measures against perennial floodings and the mitigation of climate change.
Besides the mitigation of climate change, he said that the reconstruction and upgrade of the dam by Infiquest International will ensure a regular supply of potable water, flood control, and other economic activities of the people to boost their livelihoods.
He said the completion of the dam project will boost the irrigation schemes in the Lake Chad Basin, as the dam will have the capacity of 112 million cubic meters of water supply to Maiduguri and the Lake Chad Basin.
Representative of the House committee on Water Resources, Hon. Sada Soli, also assured the people that “value for money” was ensured through the oversight functions of the National Assembly.
He urged the contractor to cooperate and own the communities, including Konduga, Jere, and Mafa.
In his remarks, Governor Babagana Zulum reiterated that the completion of the dam project in 2026 will mitigate climate change, with the boosting of employment and food security.
“The contractor handling the project should provide an interim measure of preventing the spilling of water into adjoining communities,” he said.
Zulum, therefore, urged the minister to implement the two phases of reconstruction concurrently to prevent any lapses in completing the dam project.
