This amount includes costs of construction of headworks and rural infrastrucrural development. The highest national water resources policy formulating body is the National Council for Water Resources, chaired by the Federal Ministry of Water Resources. The Federal Ministry of Water Resources is organized in eight Departments, one of which is the Department of Irrigation and Drainage which promotes the development of irrigated agriculture through River Basin Development Authorities. In some States, Ministries of Water Resources have been created and relevant irrigation staff of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources in irrigation have been transferred to them. To increase productivity, the use of fertilizers and improved irrigation are viewed as key factors.
Irrigation can increase land productivity by three to seven times, especially in the north.
The following problems have been found in the irrigation subsector. This and a low achievement to target yield, lead to poor financial returns to small farmers in large-scale irrigation projects. In small public projects, lack of training and extension services is considered a major constraint to achieving the target incomes, in addition to unreliable supply of agricultural inputs. Reservoir construction also generates social problems, principally due to the displacement of settlements. The flood plain of the Niger River is considered the greatest untapped potential for future irrigation development in Nigeria.