IN its efforts to address youth unemployment and wealth creation in the state, the Borno State government has awarded a N457 million irrigation contract for the development of six irrigation centres across the three senatorial zones of the state.

Signing the contract on behalf of the Borno state government at the conference hall of the state Water House, the state Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Alhaji Baba Bashir Garbai, said the project was meant to create jobs for the state’s teaming youths and provide quality food for the people of the state.

He stated that the ministry had constituted a monitoring team to ensure that the project was executed according to specifications, and also to ensure sustainability of the irrigation projects.

The commissioner stated that the ministry also required the collaboration of the state Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources as well as the state agricultural transformation team for its success.

He said the N457 million contract would be funded through the subsidy reinvestment fund, adding that the adminsitration of Governor Kashim Shettima accorded priority attention to job creation trough agricultural transformation and wealth creation.

Also speaking on the occasion, the chairman, state Agricultural Transformation Team, Mr Ibrahim Ali, said that the idea of the irrigation scheme was to transform the mundane method of farming to modern and effective irrigation system, stressing that since 80 per cent of the Borno population were farmers, there was the need to combat youth unemployment through agriculture, which is the major source of employment.

He said the project, when completed, would create more than 300,000 direct and indirect jobs for the youths and families across the 27 local government areas of the state.