THE Iyora community in Uzairue clan, Etsako West Local Government Area of Edo State may formally forward a petition to the Federal Government to complain about the naming of dam situated in the community after Jattu.
The Federal Executive Council (FEC) through the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed recently said it has approved the construction of Jattu dam which is meant to provide potable water for Edo North senatoral district and also enhance all-year farming in the district.
Mohammed added that the Ministry of Water Resources got the nod of the FEC to award the contract for the construction of the dam.
He further explained that the Edo State government had made a firm commitment to the project’s success by agreeing to underwrite 25 percent of the N8 billion contract sum, which amounts to N2 billion.
However, the Iyora people felt the Federal Government should not have named the dam to be constructed in its domain after Jattu, a neighbouring community
Much as the Iyora people see the dam gesture as a rare gift to the Edo senatorial district and also a thing of joy after many years of acute water shortages in the area, they were, however, taken aback by the naming of the dam after Jattu.
Many of those who spoke on the condition of anonymity said their major grouse with the federal gesture is not the project itself but the decision to name the project after Jattu.
They contended that Jattu does not have a river that can be dammed
It will be recalled that the Benin-Owena River Basin Development Authority (BORDA) has reportedly carried out some preliminary work on the Ogio River in the Iyora community, including desilting, clearing the banks of the river as well as the payment of compensation for farm crops destroyed, all in anticipation of when the FEC approval will be secured.
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