The Ifite-Ogwari community in Ayamelum Local Government Area of Anambra State was recently thrown into a joyous mood, following the successful test-run of the Lower Anambra Irrigation Project, LAIP water Pumping station.
The development sets the stage for the resumption of dry season farming in the area, which is part of the food baskets of Anambra State.
The Pumping Station and the Hydraulic Structures, which had been moribund since the early 1990s, were refurbished and rehabilitated in line with the agrarian policy thrust of President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda for Food Security.
The Agricultural Transformation Agenda Support Program Phase One, ATASP-1, which is the implementing Agency, is a federal government intervention program conceived by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security with funding from the African Development Bank (AfDB) with an overall objective of enhancing Food sufficiency in Nigeria.
Messrs RAYCON Nigeria Ltd and EBARA Corporation, Japan, were the Contractors and technical partners who respectively delivered the rehabilitation of the LAIP Pumping Station.
The rehabilitation of the Pumping Station, which involved replacing the old, obsolete five (5) gigantic pumps, Concrete lining of primary and secondary canals, rehabilitation of hydraulic structures, etc., was successfully completed on Friday, May 9, 2025.
According to the Contractors, RAYCON, the installed pumping delivery capacity of each of the five (5) pumps per hour is 4,500 m3 -6,800 m3.
“Many young citizens of this area who gathered had not witnessed the delivery of water in this long stretch of 40.1 km of irrigation canals since they were born.
“This development further spiraled wild jubilation and gratitude to triumvirate bodies that made this a reality; the Federal Government of Nigeria, ATASP-1 and African Development Bank,” the contractors said.
Chairman of Rice Farmers Stakeholders Association in Ayamelum, Mr. Cletus Obiora, who led other farmers during the inspection tour of the pumping station at Ifite-Ogwari during test-run, expressed gratitude to President Bola Tinubu, Minister of Agriculture & Food Security, Sen Abubakar Kyari, National Program Coordinator, ATASP-1. Dr I.M. Arabi and the African Development Bank (AfDB) for making their dream of dry season rice farming a reality through the rehabilitation of the Pumping Station.
Rice farmer and Chairman of ATASP-1 Innovation Platform, Ifite-Ogwari, Mr. Emeka Mmadubuko, also sharing his joy, said,  “I’m very happy that this pumping station has finally resumed operation.
“God will bless ATASP-1. In fact, they have made life easy for us. I’m hoping that I will be cultivating rice up to four times a year.
Mrs. Mmachie Philomina, rice farmer and marketer from Omor, also expressed her excitement: “I’m so happy that our farmers now have the opportunity to continue cropping throughout the year without depending on rainfall. We can even plant up to four times in a year with the resumption of water supply through this irrigation.
When contacted, the Zonal Program Coordinator of ATASP-1 Adani-Omor Zone, Dr. Romanus Egba, assured that the ATASP-1 management team was already in talks with the state government to pay off the outstanding counterpart funds to the program and ensure that the step-down transformer was provided for the project’s sustainability.
Egba commended farmers and other stakeholders in Ayamelum for their patience, sacrifices, and support of ATASP-1 from conception to completion of the irrigation project.
