Minister of Power, Works, and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola SAN, Thursday visited the Kashimbila Multipurpose Dam Project in Taraba State assuring that when completed, the Dam would serve the multiple purpose of protecting parts of the country from a predicted ecological disaster, provide electricity and support agricultural ventures in surrounding States of the Northeast.
Fielding questions from NTA newsmen after the inspection, Fashola, who said the project was conceived about 2007, pointed out that the purpose was a proactive step by Nigeria to prevent an ecological disaster that Science predicted would happen in future when the structurally weak volcanic Lake Nyos inevitably collapses, which would likely affect six states in the country.
The Minister, who named the states to include Taraba, Benue, Cross River, Delta and Kogi on the route of the tributaries of the Katsina-Ala River, added that the project was also conceived to provide electricity and support agricultural ventures in the surrounding communities.
He told the newsmen, “Nigeria has decided since 2007 or thereabouts to intervene and prevent the disaster by building a dam and from the dam you have water which is a force of energy, we decided to build a 40 MW plant to generate electricity to feed communities like Doga, Wukari, Takum, Kashimbila and many other communities in the Northeast and Yandev in Benue State who are not yet connected to the Grid”.
According to him, what the communities have presently is a 33KV line that transmits energy across 80, 90 to 100 and above kilometers adding that by the time the energy ultimately gets to the communities, it is not effective resulting in what is often referred to as “low current.”
Assuring that the project would solve all of the problems, Fashola, however, regretted that the contracting firm has not been paid for about two or three years adding that the project had just been put into the budget. He added, “We have approved payment for the contractor and I have now come to see what we are paying for to ensure that the project is delivered”.
“This project has three phases and three objectives to accomplish. First to prevent an ecological disaster that science predicts will happen and secondly from there provide electricity and support agriculture. This is the Kashimbila 40MW Multipurpose Dam for electricity and irrigation. But as I’ve said it was an ecological necessity”, the Minister said.
Emphasizing the benefits of the project to agricultural ventures in the host state and beyond, Fashola, who described Kashimbila as one of the most beautiful parts of Nigeria, added, “I have just come from Ecuador which is about 2,800 meters above sea level. I think this is about 500 to 800 meters in altitude. What you have here are mountains, rivers, and a very rich resource agro-base”.
The Minister, particularly, noted that the water supply embedded in the Dam could also be distributed far beyond the host community, Tagun, adding that government had opened discussions with the contractors on how the water catchment could be expanded beyond Tagun to serve most of Taraba and parts of the Northeast.
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