HOW 10 MILLION NGN (US$ 50,000) IS BEING SPENT TO PROVIDE WATER IN BACHAKA, KEBBI

Follow The Money to provide Water for Dry Crop Farmers in Bachaka #WaterBachaka

The Story of #WaterBachaka

In 2014, the government of Nigeria launched its Great Green Wall project with a 16 billion Naira Presidential intervention, which during our stakeholders meeting in November 2015, was confirmed to us to be 10 billion Naira and not 16 billion Naira. During our data mining sessions, we also gathered that 81,188,191 has been spent budgeted on some components of the Great Green Wall project in 2014 and 2015 by the Federal Ministry of Environment. The components of the Great Green Wall project in Nigeria includes the establishment of  green wall or shelterbelt from Kebbi State to Borno State, a distance of 1,500 km and 15 km wide; Community Sensitization & Mobilization; Promotion of alternative sources of energy; Promotion of alternative means of livelihoods; Promotion of dryland agricultural technology; Provision of water and other social infrastructure.

The Great Green Wall project (GGW) in Nigeria is coordinated by the Ministry of Environment and the new Great Green Wall Agency, and meant to be implemented in 11 frontline states in Northern Nigeria – Adamawa, Bauchi, Gombe, Kebbi, Sokoto, Zamfara, Katsina, Kano, Jigawa, Yobe and Borno; in 200 local communities in 43 local government, and impacting 15 million lives. 

Bachaka, in Arewa Local Government of Kebbi State is not only a beneficiary community for the Great Green Wall project, the presidential intervention was flagged off, by the planting of shelter belts at Bachaka in November 2014. Although with much progress, the project has been challenged by a collapse of the water source, that supplied water to the nurseries, and also water that is been used by few dry crop farmers in Bachaka.

This Follow the Money campaign calls on all concerned public agencies to uphold the public interest through accountable and transparent management of the funds that have been released to provide water infrastructure in Bachaka. We invite the public to get involved in the Campaign today. Help us follow the money to provide a water source for the dyeing nurseries, and dry crops for farmers. This would help improve the livelihoods of these farmers, and as well allow for the growth of seedlings that could be used for other tree plantations.

follow32 STATE GOVERNMENT AGENCY TO MAKE SURE THEY #WATERBACHAKA

May 2016: At the town hall meeting in Kebbi state, the team met with the state agencies that relates with the National Agency for Great Green Wall to discuss on the failed promises to the people of Bachaka, and also ascertain at what time should the community expect their water fixed. As part of the outcome of the meeting, the state government clearly stated that they will support the project, but that the federal ministry needs to put in more effort to #WaterBachaka

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follow32 BACHAKA STILL WAITS FOR WATER FOR NURSERIES AND DRY CROPS

April 2016: Our team was in Bachaka again to affirm the level of intervention since the last time we were in Bachaka. The community in Bachaka again reiterated how important it was for the government to come and fix the water source in their community that has deprived them of access to water, and also had made the growth of their crops stunted.

follow32 PROMISES TO #WATERBACHAKA OVERWHELMING

March 2016: At a National Stakeholders meeting held in Abuja with the National Agency for the Great Green Wall [NAGGW], stakeholders were informed by NAGGW that they will start fixing some of the challenges we have highlighted, and that immediately their finance has been approved, they will provide the water source in Bachaka

follow32 HOPE FOR BACHAKA AS AGENCY PROMISES TO #WATERBACHAKA

February 2016: The Great Green Wall agency expressed their concern on the challenges encountered in making the communities own the projects, and informed the team that they have already sent a memo to provide funds to #WaterBachaka and insisted we must help to assure community and state ownership [LISTEN] on SoundCloud

 

follow32 CALL ON THE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT AND THE GGW AGENCY TO #WATERBACHAKA

January 2016: The team was on Armed Forces Radio Station to advocate to the government to call on the contractor to work on the water source, so that dry crop farmers can go back to their farms and that the nurseries can grow to provide more trees for the project. The agency called for a meeting afterwards the radio program on listening

follow32 WATER SOURCE  FOR DRY CROP FARMING NOT WORKING

December 2015:  The other water source provided for nurseries and for dry crop farmers to use as an irrigation mechanism spoilt just 4 months after it was installed. The windmill powered source lasted for 2 months before it was replaced by a solar powered panel which eventually was carted away. Since then plants in the nurseries and other dry crops are getting dried up.

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 follow32 SECURITY GUARDS COMPLAIN ABOUT SALARY PAYMENT

November 2015 The security guards manning the shelter belts and other facilities acquired for the GGW project complained they have not been paid salaries since they were recruited to join the project in February 2015

 

follow32 FIRST OVERHEAD TANK FOR GGW STILL WORKING

November 18 2015 The overhead tank that supplies water to the first set of shelterbelts under the Great Green Wall (GGW) project is working, and had mad some of the seeds planted one year ago in the 2 km extension to thrive.

 

follow32 HEAD OF COMMUNITY SHARE CONCERNS ABOUT BACHAKA

November 17, 2015: Abubakar Maiyaki intimated the Follow The Money team that the Great Green Wall project has enlightened their community on benefits of planting economical trees, and that it had empowered their community in Dry Crop farming owing to the provision of water sources, while it had provided jobs for 5 forest guards and 2 security men, but that there has been setbacks since four months now especially with the water sources for dry crop farming

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