Nigerian Defence Academy, Kaduna, Nigeria .:: NDA To Get Earth Dam Soon

NDA To Get Earth Dam Soon

Barring last minutes changes and the subsequent signing into law of the 2016 Federal Budget, construction of an Earth Dam for the Nigerian Defence Academy is likely to commence soon.

Commandant of the Nigerian Defence Academy, Major General MT Ibrahim, gave the indication when he received the Kaduna Commissioner for Water Resources, Engr Suleiman Aliyu Lere, who was on a courtesy visit to the Academy recently. General Ibrahim who disclosed that the project has been included in this yearâ€™s budget, noted that when completed the project will not only conclusively meet the water needs of the Nigerian Defence Academy but also serve as a rudimentary dockyard for Naval Cadets, where they could also be taught basic patrol manoeuvres on vessels. The dam, he further revealed, will provide water for communities around NDA, as part of the Academyâ€™s Corporate Social Responsibilities to the communities around it. He noted that in order to tackle the acute water deficit bedeviling the NDA he has sunk 8 boreholes at the NDA Permanent Site since he took over office in August, 2015.

Major General Ibrahim further informed the Commissioner that his visit to NDA was timely, noting that the state government could provide consultancy and expertise to the Academy before, during and after the construction of the dam.

The Commissioner for Water Resources, Engr Sulieman Aliyu Lere, stated that the idea to construct an Earth Dam was a good one as the NDA community is growing steadily. He expressed the stateâ€™s willingness to assist the NDA with technical expertise such as the setting up of treatment plants and other necessary facilities. He applauded the project, noting that it will provide water for the surrounding communities thereby helping the state government in its quest to provide portable water to all residents of Kaduna State. Engr Lere noted that his ministry had the facilities, resources and people that could help NDA actualize the dam project. He mentioned that the State Government was eager to assist NDA because of its important mandate of training young officers and future leaders for the country.

The Commissioner, who underlined the importance of synergy between the Nigerian Defence Academy and the Kaduna State Government, noted that it was necessary for both institutions to join forces and device ways of moving the nation forward. Engr Lere enumerated the huge infrastructural deficits inherited by the present administration in the state. He disclosed that Kaduna State, being the 3rd most populous state in the country, with a fast growth population, is encumbered with a huge demand for portable water. He stated that in order to meet the state governmentâ€™s target of providing 390 million litres of water to residents of Kaduna State daily, there was need to harness all sources of revenue, particularly from debt owed the Kaduna State Board by state run institutions. To this end, he disclosed that the state government set up a committee with the mandate of recovering these debts.

The visit also created an avenue for the Academy to iron out issues relating to water supply by the state water board to NDA and the debt being owed by NDA. Following the deliberations, it was agreed that a joint committee be set up to reconcile all issues relating to the matter.

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