Enugu Senator Laments Exclusion Of Abandoned Enugu Dams In Federal Budget
The Senator representing Enugu West Senatorial District, Sen Osita Ngwu, on Thursday, called on the federal government to complete the abandoned Ivo and Mgbowo dam projects.
Ivo dam is located in Aninri LGA while that of Mgbowo is in Awgu LGA of Enugu State.
Ngwu said the projects were essential towards sustainable development in Enugu State. According to him, finishing the dams would improve access to potable water, expand irrigation for agriculture, create jobs and stimulate socio-economic growth in host communities.
He recalled that many appeals had been made for the completion of dams, but to no avail.
He said, “Despite our appeals for the completion of the Ivo and Mgbowo River dams in Enugu State, there appears to be a systematic abandonment of these critical projects.”
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He said the Ivo Dam was awarded by the federal government in 2012 as a multi-purpose facility intended to serve irrigation, water supply, fishery and electricity generation needs, while also supporting agro-based enterprises.
He added, “The Ivo dam project, which was awarded by the federal government in 2012 as a multi-purpose dam built for irrigation, water supply, fishery, electricity generation and to enable the host communities to engage in intensive agriculture, food processing and agro-allied businesses, has suffered non-budgetary allocation since 2014 to date. Ditto Mgbowo dam.”
He expressed worries with the funding gap of the dams, adding that the South-East geopolitical zone had been excluded from recent dam rehabilitation and development allocations.
Quoting him, “It is very disappointing to note that while other zones received and continue to receive considerable budgetary allocations, only the South-East zone is left out. It is particularly troubling that these dams and others within the South-East have not enjoyed funding for some time.”
He also expressed disappointment that the abandoned dams were not captured in the Ministry’s 2026 budget proposal.
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“It had been expected that the Ministry, in its 2026 budget proposal, would have captured these projects, but sadly, this is not the case,” he said, noting that, “As you may be aware, money was earmarked by the government in the Renewed Hope Fund for rehabilitation of dams across the country, yet it is only the South-East zone that received zero allocation among all the River Basin Development Authorities in the country.”
He added that key infrastructure projects, such as the Ivo and Mgbowo dams, are central to improving potable water supply, boosting agricultural productivity, enhancing connectivity and driving local economic development in Enugu State.
He insisted that residents of Enugu state deserve equitable access to federal developmental initiatives without prolonged delays.
