$6bn Mambilla Power project: Litigation, EFCC probe frustrate execution — Minister tells Senate
…As lawmakers lament frustration amid huge budgetary allocations
Giving insight into controversies around the execution of the $6 billion Mambilla Power Project, Minister of Power, Engr Abubakar Aliyu has said litigation bottlenecks were responsible for the delay, disclosing the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) was presently carrying out a holistic probe into the Project.
Expected to commence operation in 2030, Mambilla will be Nigeria’s biggest power plant, producing approximately 4.7 billion kWh of electricity a year.
According to him, legal tussle has made forging ahead in project execution nearly impossible, stating “unless, we are able to pull out of litigation, we can’t do anything.”
Speaking in Abuja on Tuesday when he appeared before the Senator Gabriel Suswan, PDP, Benue North East led Senate Committee on Power to defend 2023 budget, Minister of Power, Engr Abubakar Aliyu said that the Ministry has met with stakeholders and all issues of concern is currently been resolved, adding that the issue of litigation on the Mambilla power project is hampering the project.
The Minister who spoke when Senator Gabriel Suswan raised concerns over the situation of Mambilla Power Project, said: “Regarding Mambilla, we have met with stakeholders and we are resolving the situation. It has something to do with litigation, there is nothing going on as regarding moving to site.
“EFCC has stepped into the matter and we have given them information about it, we have given them history of Power Project, our lawyers have interfaced with the anti-graft agency. Unless, we are able to pull out of litigation, we can’t do anything.
“I don’t think the investor will bring their money where there is encumbrance.”
This is just as the Senate Committee on Power has lamen the Mambilla hydropower project, expressing disgust over the impasse, despite yearly budgetary allocations in billions.
Mambilla hydropower project is a 3,500MW hydroelectric facility being developed on the Dongo River near Baruf, in Kakara Village of Taraba State, Nigeria.
The project is being undertaken by Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Power, Construction and Housing, with the help of Chinese investment.
The project is estimated to cost $5.8bn and will generate up to 50,000 local jobs during the construction phase.
