Mambilla Hydro Power Project to provide 40,000 jobs for Nigerians, says Minister

The Minister of Power Aaron Artmas has affirmed that the Mambilla Hydropower is a priority project which President Muhammadu Buhari’s is passionate about to fulfil his electoral promises to Nigerians.

Penpushing reports that, he made this known in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Communication, adding that Buhari is also ensuring that that the project will accelerate overall development of the nation and provide jobs for the people, especially the youth.

“Mr. President is irrevocably committed to the Mambilla Hydropower Project, as matter of priority, for its potential multiplier effects on national development; and that was why he specifically mentioned the project in his budget speech and he is leaving no stone unturned in removing the bottlenecks that have bogged down the project and kept it at the drawing table for decades”.

Penpushing further reports that, Artimas maintained that Buhari has demonstrated high commitment to the project going by the mutual agreement by parties to out-of-court settlement on the law suit at the International Arbitration Court.

“This is no doubt a positive development for the Mambilla project. Through the timely intervention of Mr. President, two committees were constituted, namely, Inter-Ministerial Steering Committee (IMSC) and Project Delivery Committee in January 2020’.

‘This has effectively resuscitated the project and provided the platform for the Ministry of Power to pursue timely delivery. Within five months of putting the committees in place, the Ministry of Power has carried out the mapping and survey of the project site, and now in the process of acquiring the land’.

‘And  has also brought together stakeholders on the project. A Memorandum of Understanding has also been signed between the Ministry of Power and the government of Taraba State’, he stated.

Penpushing also reports that,the Minister speaking on insinuation from certain quarters that the project is not on the 2021 budget proposal, the statement said nothing can be farther from the truth

“It is not correct to say that Mambilla Power Project, our flagship project, is not captured in the 2021 capital expenditure proposal. That is untrue. Mabilla project is very dear to the heart of Mr. President and the Minister of Power’.

‘The expenditure estimates for Mabilla is not only captured in the 2021 project, in fact, the Ministry has written to the Ministry of Finance to specifically request for increase in the amount allocated for the project in order to meet the mandate of President Buhari’.

‘A delegation from the Ministry of Power also visited the Ministry of Finance to make further case for increased budget allocation to the project. The project will not only provide about 40,000 direct and indirect jobs to Nigerians when completed, but it will also be the largest power-generating installation in the country, and one of the largest hydroelectric power stations in Africa’.

‘The Ministry of Power made the Mambilla Hydropwer Project it’s  key priority all through the budgeting process leading to the 2021 national budget and the records can speak for that”, Artmas said