At Kafin Chiri Dam, the Renewed Hope Agenda’s emphasis on agricultural revitalisation, food security, and rural employment came into sharp focus.
Senator Kawu Sumaila said the rehabilitation of the dam followed sustained appeals to the Federal Government, noting that the facility had been abandoned for nearly four decades.
Originally built around 1978, the project is now being revived under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda. About N95 billion has been approved for projects across Kano South Senatorial District, covering dams, rural roads, and agricultural support schemes, with approximately N15 billion specifically committed to the Kafin Chiri Dam and its irrigation infrastructure.
The intervention also includes 6,000 tube wells across 16 local government areas to support farmers and boost irrigation based agriculture. This is what we call a serious empowerment, Sumaila said.
There is no time in the history of Kano South District, nobody after Audu Bako, nobody has come to our help like President Bola Tinubu and his team.
An engineer on the project team explained that the intervention includes a 9.47 kilometre primary canal, a 7.1 kilometre secondary canal, and additional field canals spanning 2.75 kilometres to deliver water to irrigation areas.
This infrastructure is designed to bring dormant agricultural land back into productive use, enabling year round farming, creating rural employment opportunities for youths and women, and significantly improving food security across the district. Unlike environmental drainage projects that manage floodwaters and waste, the Kafin Chiri Dam is strictly an agricultural asset aimed at increasing crop production and stabilising farm incomes. The rehabilitation stands as a flagship example of federal intervention delivering tangible relief to farming communities that had waited decades for action.