Ahmed Abubakar, Dutse
President Muhammad Buhari has flagged-off the commencement of trimming of age-long Typha grass from the Hadejia River valley in Jigawa State.
The President, who was in Jigawa State for a two-day working visit, arrived the state capital at 9.58a.m. and was treated to a reception by the Jigawa and Kano states governors, Alhaji Muhammed Badaru Abubakar and Alhaji Abdullahi Umar Ganduje.
President Muhammad Buhari, however, expressed disappointment with the manner with which he was prevented from meeting the people directly despite their efforts to see him.
President Buhari who spoke in ‘Hausa’ at the Hadejia emirs palace stated that, ” I was enveloped in a dark vehicle which prevented the large number of people that came to see me, I could also see the disappointment on their faces when they could not even guess the vehicle that conveyed me”.
“I hope when I’m going back they would put me in an open vehicle so that my people will see me and I will also wave them”, he stated.
The President who on arrival in the morning immediately boarded a helicopter that conveyed him to Auyo where he commissioned dredging process of the river canal.
The river canal dredging project was first awarded in 1981 and have since been abandoned by successive governments.
When dredged, the canals are expected to provide enough water for irrigation purposes and other domestic use.
The President also proceeded to commission 114 kilometre Guri-Tasheguwa-Abunabo road construction work awarded at the cost of over N11 billion Naira by the state government.