DAILY TRUST
There is no allocation in the 2024 budget proposal for the project of the construction of the multi- billion naira Mambilla Hydro-Power plant at Gembu in Taraba State, Daily Trust reports.
This is just as the Ministry of Power will spend N400 million on conferences in the 2024 fiscal year.
The Mambilla Power Project, which has been subject of controversies during the former administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, is considered to be the largest hydropower plant in the country with the potential to generate over 3,050 Megawatt (MW) of electricity.
The Federal Executive Council (FEC) had, in August 2017, approved $5.792 billion (about N1.140 trillion) for the project.
The contract was awarded to Chinese Civil and Engineering Company for the engineering and turn-key contract, including civil and electro-mechanical works.
The then Minister of Power, Babatunde Fashola, who had recalled that Nigeria started talking about the Mambilla power project in 1972, said its construction should take about 72 months (six years).
The former minister had said the project would be jointly financed by the federal government and the China Export Import (EXIM) Bank.
He had said EXIM bank would provide 85 per cent of the cost, while the federal government would provide 15 per cent.
“The scope of works of the project will include the construction of four dams and 700 kilometres of transmission lines.”
Fashola had said the project, when completed, would boost the nation’s economy as it would unleash the potential that had been reported about Mambilla in the fields of agriculture, tourism and energy.
“It will also help Nigeria strike a very big blow on the climate change issue and fulfil its commitment under the Paris Agreement, because this is going to be renewable energy, coming also at a relatively competitive cost,” Fashola had stated.
It would be recalled that in 2023, the government, through the ministry of power, had allocated N1.1 billion of its N232.6 billion capital funding to the project.
This included N223 million for consultancy fees, N100 million for consultants to enumerate the communities and another N10 million consultancy fee for land surveyors.
Another consultancy fee for the project was stated to gulp N199 million; while N550m was placed for counterpart funding for the pre-commencement activities.
Daily Trust could not establish whether the monies budgeted were released or not.
Nothing for Mambilla
An analysis of the proposed budget for the ministry in 2024 indicates that N400 million has been proposed for international and local investment forum, conference and expo for power; which is a new project in the budget.
