…As govt initiates plans for small hydro plants in communities
Oscarline Onwuemenyi
27 July 2016, Sweetcrude, Abuja – Niger State government is demanding 13 percent derivation allocation of electricity generated from generating hydro dams – Shiroro, Jebba and Kainji, all located within the state.
The Governor of Niger state, Alhaji Sani Bello stated this during a stakeholders’ meeting with representatives of the communities where the dams are located, power generating, transmission and distribution companies which was held at government house, Minna.
Bello demanded that Niger State be given 13 per cent derivation as has been the case with oil producing states that produces the energy resources upon which the country relies.
He lamented that despite the fact that the nation’s three major dams are located in the state, citizens have been living in darkness for almost three months now, which has crippled both business and domestic activities without any explanation from those who should know, namely the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC).
He however, said he convened the meeting of major stakeholders with a view to not only identifying but also finding out lasting solutions to the problem as it affects the government and people of the state.
He expressed the hope that the outcome of the meeting would translate into an improved electricity supply after waiting for months expecting that power would improve.
Meanwhile the minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, has inaugurated a committee to brainstorm on how to generate electricity from eight small hydro plants in Nigeria.
The plants selected include Tiga, Challawa dams in Kano State, Omi-Kampe in Kogi, and Jibiya zone dams in Katsina State. Others are Bakalori in Zamfara, Doma in Nasarawa and Ikere Gorge in Oyo State.
The committee which has 45 days to submit its report said the eight dams were chosen from 45 small hydro dams in the country.
Fashola said their terms include procurement procedure to civil and mechanical engineering works, taking cognizance of works already done and what needed to be done to quickly complete the projects.
He said the assignment of quickly energizing these small dams is consistent with the target of government, that by year 2020 at least the energy mix for renewable energy sources would be 30%.
“We must touch the lives of people in the rural areas by improving their economy through deepening of their access to electricity,” Fashola also said.
Membership of the inter-agency committee is drawn from the ministries of Mineral Resources, Petroleum, Water Resources, Environment, Agriculture, Bureau of Public Enterprises, (BPE), and the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC).
