What Sale Mamman is doing to achieve Mambilla Power Project- Aide

Spokesperson to the Minister of Power, Aaron Artimas has penned down efforts made by the Engr Sale Mamman to kick start the much talked Mambilla Hydropower Project, saying the Taraba born Minister has successfully remove the Project from the drawing board, where it has languished for more than forty years since conception to take off. 

 

Artimas in an article titled The Power Sector And Its Desperate critics said before now, no government or Minister had taken the first step of even acquiring the land, let alone commit the host communities and the state government towards starting the project.

 

"To be sure, he is not the first minister of Power from Taraba State. In December, 2019, the Ministry of Power wrote twice to the Taraba State government requesting for dates for the elaborate presentation of cheques for the commencement of demarcation and survey activities at the dam sites in which it requested the full presence of stakeholders, Traditional rulers and host community leaders.  But the Governor Arc. Darius Ishaku was indisposed and the presentation was moved to Trancorp Hotel Abuja. As a demonstration of the Federal Government's seriousness in executing this project, the Minister has constituted two special committees. First, the Ministerial Committee on the Mambilla Hydropower project and second, the Project Delivery Committee on the Mambilla Hydropower project. The ministry also followed due process in financial regulation in accordance with the law which permit the release of funds to another tier of government for the execution of projects. Apart from strictly following government guidelines, the Ministry was also conscious not only to expedite actions on the process but also to carry the state government along as the lead host community. Involving the government was a major incentive that should make the Taraba State government to own the project instead of sabotaging it. 

The committees set up by Federal Government are working closely with officials of the Taraba State Ministry of Power.  Away from any form of criticism against anyone, the Minister deserved particular commendation from his people because he was not the first Taraban to be Minister of Power. If the previous regimes had played their own part as we are seeing, we should not be talking about land at this stage. All patriotic Taraba citizens especially members of the National Assembly should demonstrate and support the Ministry of Power to deliver the project instead of using it as popularity stunt. 

The anticipated area of coverage is about 25kilometres radius, which cannot be covered in a couple of months. The consortium of surveyors engaged on the project, have hired aircrafts from within and outside the country to carry out the aerial surveys while the ground activities have to be meticulously undertaken to compile comprehensive inventories of community settlements, farm lands and government institutions for proper compensation.

 

    Presently, while the Ministry of Power has gone very far in collaborating with the Taraba State Government to secure the project site. President Mohammed Buhari has also directed the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Agency, NSIA to re-evaluate the scope of the project, so as to make it less cumbersome and bankable in order to facilitate easy foreign financing.  Expectedly the dam will be scaled down to N1,500MW instead of its previous status of  3.050MW. This will reduce the cost and period of execution.  

 

 It is should be a huge relief to those crying more than the bereaved to understand that the Mambilla Power Project is neither abandoned nor the enthusiasm for its construction diminished. More than everyone else the Buhari administration is determined to deliver this project despite the seeming intractable obstacles on its path."