President Buhari
The
over $3.2billion Mambilla Hydro-power project with the capacity to
generate 3050 megawatts is being threatened by several factors including
massive landslide and bad roads.
The
Mambilla hydro-electric power project in Taraba State was initiated in
1982 to serve as the largest single hydro-power station in Nigeria. The
contract was awarded on May 28, 2007 at the sum of $3.2 billion to China
Gezhouba Group Company Limited (CGGC) and another Chinese consortium,
Sinohydro.
The current six biggest thermal
stations in the country have a total capacity of 3030 mw which is still
far less than Mambilla’s 3,050 megawatts.
The
Economic Confidential gathered that the contract sum has increased to
about $6billion due to inflationary trends as Chinese Firms are expected
to provide 70 per cent of the sum while 30 per cent would be provided
by the Federal Government of Nigeria. Due to various factors the project
was suspended during the previous administrations.
In
an effort to ensure the speedy completion of the project, President
Muhammadu Buhari was in China this year to seek the assistance of
Chinese government, the major financier for the power-station.
Recently
some foreign engineers in company of government officials on an
inspection visit to Taraba State refused to proceed further to Barup,
the project site due to bad roads damaged by massive landslide. Other
access roads are bushy that only bikes could ply while the rivers have
no functional bridges.
All
entreaties by officials and members of the local community were not
heeded by the foreigners who insisted that they would not continue the
journey on dangerous paths.
A
source at the Federal Ministry of Work Power and Housing told the
Economic Confidential that the Minister, Mr. Raji Fashola has shown keen
interest in ensuring the completion of the project because of its
potential to add 3000MW to the grid through Hydro-Electric project
rather than expensive gas plants.
The
officer added that “the Ministry is working towards assessing the
condition of the roads for immediate solutions. We are all aware that
the project would provide employment opportunities and is expected to
boost national economic growth.”
Also
concerned about the development, former President Olusegun Obasanjo
urged President Buhari to immediately complete the Hydro Power Project
to increase the energy potentials of Nigeria and pave way for more
development.
Obasanjo
who was speaking with news men in Jalingo, Taraba State said that the
project would be of great benefit to the region and to Nigeria and as
such must be quickly completed. He added that the cost of completing the
project was rising by the day stressing that it would be better to
complete it now than wait for when it would be more expensive.
A
community leader and Chairman of Mambilla Plateau Legacies Forum
(MPLF), Mallam Ibrahim Ismail Sadiq appealed to the Federal and state
governments to take urgent measures at addressing the problems of the
roads and open up the potentials of the plateau. He said that the
surrounding communities that are borders to Cameroon Republic are on the
verge of being cut off from Nigeria as a result of the landslide that
occurred on the only road linking Mambilla Plateau with Taraba state and
Nigeria as a nation.
He
said that: “Many foreign investors are reluctant to ply the dangerous
roads that are dilapidated by landslides while the rivers could not be
accessed by vehicle due to lack of functional bridges.
“Apart
from the potential to generate power-supply, Mambilla Plateau offers
attractive settings worth of massive investments than anywhere in
Nigeria because of its unique physical and conducive climatic conditions
for human settlement and cattle breeding.”
The
Mambilla Plateau is a high grassland with an average elevation of 2419m
(5249ft) above sea level, making it the highest Plateau in Nigeria
which occupies an area 9389km§. It has cattle ranches, tea plantation
and rolling glassy hills. It is a home to some rare species of birds and
animals. The highland is also home to Nigeria and west Africa's only
highland tea plantation and production.
By PRNigeria
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