From Saka Bolaji, Minna
In addition to its normal share from the national grid, Niger State government is demanding 13 per cent of the electricity generated from the nation’s three Hydro-electricity dams located in the state.
Governor Abubakar Sani Bello made the demand on Tuesday in Minna at a crucial stakeholders meeting with representatives of communities hosting the dams, companies in power generation, transmission and distribution.
The state, which has been in virtual blackout for close to three months now, has seen business and domestic activities paralysed without any convincing reason to that effect from the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC).
Worried by the potential threat to peace and security which the incessant blackout poses to the state, Governor Sani Bello convened the meeting with a view to identifying and finding solutions to the problem.
The governor, who described the situation as “disturbing,” noted that though Niger hosts three hydro-power dams supplying electricity to the country it has been witnessing constant power outages, hence the need to demand that certain percentage of the total electricity generated be allocated to the state.
Governor Sani Bello faulted the equitable distribution of power from the National grid stressing that the era of equitable sharing of the country’s endowments was, unfortunately, long gone. “Something extra should be given to the state, which is what the host communities and my people are saying”, he added.
He disclosed that the state government had continued to manage the people’s anger, frustration and protests with the hope that the situation would get better but that it was, instead, getting worse, thereby making them feel hopeless.
According to him, “to have people react in protest over an issue or to have them believe that it is only when they protest that they can get what they want is a dangerous trend that poses serious security threat to any society hence the need to improve on power supply to the state as the people appear to be running out of patience.”
Governor Sani Bello disclosed that the state was looking at other options of generating power for residents, including but not limited to establishing an embedded thermal plant or mini hydro-power dams across the state that would generate 1to10mega watts of electricity.
The governor then called on all the companies involved in the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity in the state to carry out their corporate social responsibility to their host communities, provide the youths with job opportunities and improve their human relations with the people.
Speaking for the communities hosting the three dams in the state, Mrs. Roseline Abara, who is the State Commissioner for Gender Affairs, lamented that the inability of the management of the dams to meet their corporate social responsibility to the host communities has continued to heighten tension in the areas.
She noted that the blackout in most host communities was responsible for the recent protest by youth from Shiroro Local Government area and called on the management of the dams to live up to their responsibilities to their hosts and avoid any tension.
Speaking separately, representatives of the electricity companies and various other stakeholders agreed that the precarious power situation in the state was becoming volatile but blamed the situation on the massive decline in power generation from the hydro-power dams and the thermal plants.
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