By Christiana Babayo

Honourable Dr. Sarah Enoch Adi, PhD, is a distinguished Nigerian public servant, academic, and humanitarian whose life and work embody the true meaning of service, compassion, and excellence. Currently serving as the Commissioner for Finance, Budget and Economic Planning in Taraba State, she has become a beacon of hope and transformation, touching lives across education, health, agriculture, and community development.olabahiso.com

Dr. Sarah hails from Wukari Local Government Area of Taraba State. From an early age, she displayed a remarkable blend of brilliance, empathy, and leadership. Her quest for knowledge and her commitment to excellence propelled her academic journey, culminating in the award of a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD). This academic achievement, combined with her professional experience, has shaped her reputation as both a scholar and a reformer.

In recognition of her outstanding contributions to education and financial management, she was inducted as a Council Member of ANAN University during an inauguration ceremony in Jos, Plateau State. This appointment is a testament to her leadership, intellectual depth, and unwavering dedication to capacity building.

Hon. Dr. Sarah Enoch Adi was appointed by His Excellency, Governor Dr. Agbu Kefas, as Commissioner for Finance, Budget and Economic Planning, Taraba State in 2023. Since assuming this role, she has proven herself to be not only a skilled administrator but also a compassionate leader who sees governance as a platform for grassroots impact.

Her tenure has been characterized by a unique balance: ensuring fiscal discipline and accountability at the state level while directly engaging with communities through humanitarian interventions. She has consistently transformed public office into a channel of relief and empowerment.

Dr. Sarah has made an indelible mark through numerous interventions that span across key sectors: Education, healthcare, Agriculture and social welfare.
Dr. Sarah’s leadership is defined by empathy, inclusiveness, and accountability. She ensures fair distribution of resources by working through local representatives such as Hon. Yakubu Agbaizo, guaranteeing that aid reaches intended beneficiaries. Communities across Wukari, Jalingo, and Ibi consistently respond with heartfelt gratitude, often describing her actions as “a big win for the good people of Wukari.”

Healthcare workers and patients alike have testified to being moved to tears by her support, while families of students and farmers continue to celebrate the opportunities she has created.

Her efforts align closely with Governor Agbu Kefas’s “Moving Forward” Agenda, ensuring that state development plans translate into grassroots relief and empowerment

Away from her official duties, Dr. Sarah is guided by faith, humility, and compassion. She is passionate about human development, youth empowerment, and sustainable community growth. Her philosophy is simple yet profound: leadership is meaningful only when it touches lives.
Her journey demonstrates that when intellect, empathy, and integrity converge in leadership, communities thrive. For Taraba State and beyond, Dr. Sarah remains a shining example of what it means to serve with both head and heart.

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By Williams Ayooso

A group of concerned staff have petitioned President Bola Tinubu on what they describe as abysmal state of affairs as well as gross incompetence in the managerial process in the Nigeria Agricultural Insurance Cooperation, NAIC.

The Petition which hammered on sensitive administrative irregularities and ineffective management that have culminated in running the Corporation aground was signed by Abdulquadri Olayiwola on behalf of the concern staff of the corporation.

The organization’s purpose is to provide agricultural insurance services to farmers, agro-allied businesses, and other stakeholders in the agricultural sector. To achieve its goals, NAIC requires a team of professionals with expertise in banking, insurance, agriculture, and allied sectors. Such managerial staff should possess technical skills like agricultural knowledge, insurance principles, actuarial skills, data analysis, and risk management. A situation that the staff said it is lacking in the present leadership composition of NAIC.

“It is disconcerting to observe that the current leadership of the organization is misallocating its energies. Rather than addressing substantive issues, the management is preoccupied with pursuing frivolous matters and engaging in unwarranted witch-hunts.” The letter said in part.

The Staff wondered why the present leadership of the corporation is prioritizing frivolous sensitization programs, needless contract awards and personnel decisions that compromise the organization’s integrity, against providing financial compensation for losses due to natural hazards, facilitating credit access for farmers, and promoting best practices, which is the core mandate of the organization.

Other concerns which the staff have expressed, includes: lack of transparency and accountability in the recruitment process, hardship faced by staff as a result of salary payment delay and irregularities, lack of merit-based decisions, high level corruption, non-compliance with the required statutory Solvency Margin, among others.

In the lack of transparency in the recruitment process, the staff cited an instance where the Managing Director, and Chief Executive Officer, Chief Executive Officer, Folashade Joseph threw sanity to the wings and recruited her lawyer friend, one Mrs Kamila K. Kida, as her proposed successor, without recourse to laid down procedures and guidelines establishing the corporation.
“The organization needs to prioritize merit-based appointments and ensure that the leadership reflects the values of integrity, fairness, and professionalism. The staff’s suffering due to delayed salary payments is unacceptable. Ultimately, it’s crucial to restore transparency, accountability, and good governance at NAIC to prevent further corruption and ensure the organization serves its purpose.” The save our soul letter of the staff reads in part.

The staff also caviled a situation where Managing Director and Chief Executive officer’s abuse of power has been exacerbated by the Supervising Minister’s failure to implement the statutory provision for the composition of the Board of Directors as outlined in Part 1 of the NAIC ACT.

The staff expressed concerned over witch-hunting of staff that are raising up their voices over the Managing Director’s chain of irregularities.
“Following a union dispute that garnered the attention of the Minister of Labour’s office, a negotiated peace agreement was reached. However, the management subsequently disregarded this agreement and implemented punitive transfers targeting staff members who had voiced their concerns.

“Regrettably, these transfers were made without consideration for the affected staff members’ skills, competencies, or the lack of suitable replacements. This decision not only undermines employee morale but also jeopardizes the organization’s overall effectiveness.” The concerned staff stated in their letter to the Presidency.

“The irregularities, lack of compliance to guidelines and corruption tendencies of NAIC under the present leadership also caught the attention of the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM). In a letter dated March 12, 2025, addressed to the Managing Director/CEO, NAIC, NAICOM expressed concerns about the corporation’s financial status, specifically highlighting non-compliance with the required statutory Solvency Margin.

“The regulatory body noted that the corporation’s going concern is increasingly doubtful due to its financial situation. Consequently, NAICOM mandated the corporation to: Make a cash payment: Deposit funds into the company’s account within 60 days. Submit a Turnaround Plan: Communicate a comprehensive plan to address the financial concerns within 21 days. This development underscores the premise of our agitation that NAIC is practically in the wrong hands at the moment.” The staff revealed.

To restore the lost glory of the organization staff appealed to the presidency to prioritize competence-based appointments, transparency in the selection process, and embark on a transparent and rigorous selection process to identify the most qualified candidates for the Corporation.

By Worldview Magazine

In a bid to provide quality and affordable healthcare services to its inhabitants, the Taraba State Government established the Taraba State Contributory Health Insurance Agency (TSCHIA) in December 2019.

Since it’s creation, the Agency has been making efforts towards providing quality and affordable healthcare services to residents of the state.

In an exclusive interview with our correspondent, Pharmacist Jacobs Akenzukpi, Executive Secretary of TSCHIA, disclosed that the agency is currently working tirelessly to ensure that all residents of the state have access to quality healthcare services without financial barriers.

According to Akenzukpi, the agency prioritizes vulnerable populations, including children under five years, pregnant women, displaced persons, mentally and physically challenged individuals, and aged people.

He explained that the enrolment process is straightforward, with multiple channels available, including community outreach, health social register, and self-enrolment.

“As you are aware, Taraba state has about 3.8million inhabitants and it is essential that they have access to quality healthcare. The challenge is that, people get sick but, in most cases, don’t have money to go to hospital. It is also in our record that over 70 percent of people when they are sick and go to the hospital, they pay from their pockets.

“As I speak to you, we have over seventy thousand people enrolled in these facilities across the Wards in the State. One will ask, who are the vulnerable people in our communities? They are children that are below five years. They are supposed to be enrolled so that whenever they are sick, they would go and receive free medical treatment.

“Pregnant women also fall in this category of vulnerable people. Any pregnant woman that is able to go to these facilities is enrolled and given proper healthcare so they don’t deliver at home or in a bad condition. We also extended free medical services to people who are displaced as a result of crises, criminal activities, flood disaster and so on. Another category is those who are mentally and physically challenged. We equally capture aged people that is, those who are 65 years and above” He clarified.

Akenzukpi also lamented that despite the progress made, the agency faces challenges such as awareness creation, finance, and mobility and logistics.

However, he expressed optimism that with the support of the Taraba State Government, international partners, and organizations like UNICEF, the agency will overcome these challenges.

“Our operations are simple, we work in synergy with Taraba State Primary Healthcare Development Agency. Our relationship with them is a demand and supply one. This entails that we demand services while, they provide the services.

“As I speak with you, Taraba State is made up of one hundred and sixty-eight (168) political wards and the mandate is that each Ward should have one Primary Healthcare Facility that is situated right in the ward so that people can have access to healthcare services and currently, each of the wards has one Primary Healthcare.

“It is structured in a way that once you go and the quality service that you need beyond the Primary Healthcare, they will refer you to the Secondary and even Tertiary Healthcare like Federal Medical Centers and Teaching Hospitals as the case may be and what we do is that, for the vulnerable people, we pay for all their cases that are referred to the Secondary/Tertiary Facility through the Referral System” He stated.

On the challenges he earlier outlined, he called on government to assist the agency with vehicles and logistics to reach out to all the Wards and LGAs in the State to position things better so that access to quality healthcare will be guaranteed

By our Reporter

A community leader from Sevav, Barrister Jime Yongo, has made a desperate call to the Taraba State Government, to activate its security apparatus and save his community from been obliterated by the Fulani herdsmen militia.

Barrister Jime Yongo stated this in an audience with newsmen in Jalingo, Taraba State capital.

Barr Jime’s Sevav, is a Tiv farming community, located in Chinkai Chiefdom, Kente Ward of Wukari Local Government Area of Taraba State.

Jime Yongo was speaking at the instance of the recent hacking to death of some his community members by gun men identified as Fulani herdsmen. The incident, he stated, took place on 1^st of April, when Tamen Iorchir, his wife, Inginbee Tamen and Ishe Nyinya were shot by some gum wielding Fulani herdsmen, while the victims were on their farm.

Tamen Iorchir, receiving treatment at FUT Hospital, Wukari

He painted a gory side of the incident, where he stated that, after shooting their victims, the attackers dumped their remains in a well, shot sporadically inside the well and also dumped some big stones and trunk of woods inside. He also narrated how in a twist of fate, Tamen Iorchir was able to come out from the well, in spite of the severe gun shots injuries and survived to tell the story of what happened.

During the media interface, Jime displayed an official complaint that the community submitted to the Divisional Police Officer, Wukari LGA, Taraba State, in respect of the incident. The document was entitled: Complaint of Criminal Conspiracy, Causing Grievous Hurt and Culpable Homicide Against Alhaji Haruna and Alhaji Kachalla and Their Children, Buba Haruna, Nyako Haruna, etc and was signed by one Zaki Johathan Sameaya, through the Village Head of Mbawar.

The complaint, which was made available to news men, including Worldview Magazine, alleged in part that, Tamen Iorchir, who survived the attack, despite grievous gunshot injuries, identified the attackers as Fulani herdsmen from Rugan Alhaji Haruna and Rugan Alhaji Kachalla, who have laid siege on the community for some time.

Barrister Jime gave more insight on the incident.

“The soldiers that are stationed in Kente encouraged our people to go back after several peace building initiatives. It’s on this basis that one of the families, the family of Tamen, in Sevav, near Chinkai, in Chinkai Chiefdom, returned and they were working on their farm, just behind their home when these people came and attacked them. They shot them, tied their hands and dumped them in the well of their compound. It was a miracle that one of them, Tamen Iorchir, came out from the well and survived. They also took away his motorcycle and a handset and left. He was later rescued by the soldiers stationed in Kente, where he is presently receiving treatment at the Teaching Hospital, Federal University Wukari.” He stated.

According to Barrister Jime Yongo, a Jalingo based legal practitioner, Sevav community, has been under the siege of Fulani herdsmen since 2014. He asserted that all efforts for safe return of his people are being frustrated by these herdsmen, who came from nowhere and occupied their land.

“For several times, arrangements have been made by security agencies and Wukari LGC for our displaced people to return to their home and continue with their normal livelihood. Unfortunately, it has become a routine that anytime that the crops are ready for harvest, the same group of herdsmen will attack again, displace our people, kill them as many as they can, loot the crops and destroy the farm lands, using their cows.  This has been re-occurring since 2014.”

He lamented.

Barrister Jime stated that the lingering nature of this development has put the people in state of acute frustration, trauma, emotional stress and even untimely deaths.

“Imagine that you were living a normal life like other people, suddenly, someone came, chased you away and occupied your pace. The most worrisome angle of the whole scenario is that, with the way things are still going, the hope for our people coming back is not yet in sight.

“If this situation is not resolved, if the activities of these herdsmen are not curtailed, Sevav community will be obliterated. One day, we would wake up to discover that Sevav Community in Wukari Local Area of Taraba State, no longer exist. That is the intention of these herdsmen.

“That is why we are crying out loud, with our State Government, under the able leadership of His Excellency Agbu Kefas, to activate the state security apparatus and rescue us from the jaws of our enemy; else we would be extinct as a people in the State.” He Said.

Barrister Jime also spoke on how several peace efforts and arrests of perpetrators have failed to address the peace needs of the area.

“Incidentally, we know some of these Fulani herdsmen who are notorious for these activities. We have reported them severally to security agencies. Unfortunately, each time we report against them, they would be arrested, but before you know what is happening, they would be released.

“From there, we would be convinced that the basis is for us to live in peace with one another, for the common good of our community, the Local Government in particular and the State in general. And since our primary purpose is for us to have an enabling environment, where our people would live in peace thereafter, and since our objective is not to fight anybody, we would bury the hatchet and continue, only to be attacked again, when our crops are ready for harvest.”

He lamented.

This time, Barrister Jime is pleading with security agencies, especially the Commissioner of Police, Taraba State, to ensure that the killers in the recent incident in Sevav community are not only arrested, but are also made to face the full wrath of the law. This he said, would serve as deterrence to those who are taking the law for granted and experimenting with lives of humans as if it were that of Guinea Pigs.

When contacted, the Executive Chairman of Wukari LGC, Honourable Dauda Ismaila said security agencies are working in synergy with the Local Government Authority, so as to get into the roots of the ugly incident in Sevav community, not only to bring the perpetrators to book, but also to ensure that such an incident do not occur again.

“We always advise our people to live in peace with one another. That is the virtue that the Governor Agbu Kefas administration represents. I’m calling all the people in Wukari Local Government to always adopt legal and appropriate means in addressing their grievances. That is the spirit of the present government. And I enjoined everybody in the local government to be law abiding.”  He said.

The complex of the Taraba State Investment and Properties Limited, supposedly an investment and business platform of the Taraba State Government is presently in a shadow of itself. The complex, which houses Worldview Magazine office as well as other blue chip business concerns like United Bank for Africa (UBA) and Taraba Savings and Loan Limited, is overwhelmed by weeds. Taraba state Leather Company Ltd, which served as another investment of the state, located within the complex is closed down. This was followed by the closing down of the hitherto Taraba State Micro Finance Bank, over managerial crisis.

Adjacent to the Investment Complex is a Trade Fair complex, strategically located along the famed Hammaruwa Way. The Trade Fair Complex used to be a centre of events and public functions in the state. But at present, it is turned into farm lands, where crops like groundnuts, maize Soya beans are being cultivated. This is the window through which the economic travails of the state can be viewed.

But this is just but a tip of an iceberg as far as the present state’s economic situation is concerned. At the last count, not less than 90 percent of the state’s companies, serving as the Internally Generated Revenue sources, are moribund.

The hospitality industry is the most hit. A three star hotel standard within the Jolly Nyame stadium is rotting away, even as the entire sports infrastructure is on a serious stage of decay. It’s taken over by rats, cockroaches and reptiles. As such, the manageable rooms, are occupied by individuals on a casual yearly tenancy arrangement. A similar calamity befalls Jalingo Motel, one of the North East region’s iconic hospitality edifice, constructed by the Jolly Nyame administration. Before now, the Motel was a hub of social activities, visitors’ accommodation of choice and a reliable revenue source for the state.

It is not only government businesses that are suffering. Most shops are closed down for lack of patronage. This can be noticed by the number of deserted shops and business premises in the city’s highbrow areas like Hammaruwa and Barde Ways.

A shop owner, confided in our reporter that he hardly make a sale of five thousand naira nowadays, as against the N20, 000 and sometimes N30, 000 that he used to make in the past.

“We now have on our hands, a situation that some customers we respect come to buy on credit. That is taking a great toll on our business. That is why we are now having empty shelves without cash to replace the goods.” He lamented.

The trader, who hails from the Michika LGA of Adamawa State, told our reporter that he lived in Jalingo for the past 15 years and life had not being tough as it had being in the past three years.

If government and private businesses are gasping, the state government’s administrative structure is trotting on the precipice of doom. Truancy and dereliction in the civil service, as well as political holders is now the norm. Worldview magazine checks reveals that, some commissioners attend to offices only twice in the month. Worldview checks confirmed that administrative anomaly in the state is propelled by lack of incentive, motivation and oversight efforts by the government.

A serving commissioner, who spoke on condition of anonymity, indicts the present administration of showing no interest in the welfare and development of the state’s civil service structure.

“There is no running cost for the ministries and parastatals. How do you expect them to operate? All we do now is to sit down look, wait for the month end and collect our salary and go. Imagine again that you are sitting in your office as a commissioner and you are been besieged by relations, party supporters, trooping in on a daily basis to ask for one form of assistance or the other. And you have to do all these within the ambit of your salary, failure to which will attract a negative impression about you….. If you are in our shoes, as a commissioner, what will you do? That is why many of our colleagues are dodging the office” He said.

Taraba State had a robust civil service system, with job motivation and prompt payment of salary as its culture. But the narrative has changed as the glory of the service and the timely payment of salary, which the state was known for, is thrifting into a state of anomie. As at July this year, some civil servants were owed four months salaries. It is the situation that has seen some of them celebrating this year’s Eid-el- Kabir without salary for the first time in the state.

“I have never experienced this sad and daunting experience in my almost 20 years of civil service job in the state.” a civil servant in the Taraba state Ministry of information told our reporter.

While complaints and depression trail the state’s civil service, Local Government staff have almost come to the harsh reality of the moment that their salary can no longer be paid as at when due, in so far as the Governor Darius Ishaku led administration exists. Some are owed between four to six months’ salaries, even as government is spacing payments of across Local Governments Councils in the state.

Taraba State is dying. The state is trapped between the red devils and the deep blue sea. Neither the civil service nor the agriculture activities is save. Taraba is blessed with arable land, suitable for agriculture activities, but kidnappers are on rampage. The farms are no longer safe, just like the civil service is no longer attractive. Excruciating poverty, insecurity and the fear of the unknown, has taken an unshakable stand on the socio-economic stage of the state, a situation that has made the state a breeding ground for criminals.

As if these situations, which are dragging the feet of state on a life support machine, are not enough, insecurity have permeated every corner of the state, pushing the state on the threshold of oblivion. An average of five people die in Taraba, daily. It’s either they are killed by bandits or unknown gun men. Tribal crisis which has been the state’s hydra headed malady is bourgeoning, increasing its velocity in the destruction of lives and property.

At the time of going to press, some communities within Takum and Ussa local government areas of the state are under the siege of killer herdsmen. The casualty figures are yet to be ascertained, but a local told our reporter that not less than 600 people have been killed or missing, while property worth millions of naira are destroyed. There is nothing to show that the carnage will stop anytime soon, if government approach is anything to go by.

This is not to talk of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) who have now lost hope as to when they would return to their ancestral homes following some communal crises in the Southern Zone of the state.

Bandit’s attacks on hitherto peaceful communities have resonated. Gassol, Bali, Gashaka to Lau local government areas are nightmares. There is hardly a day that passes by without killings, arising from banditry attacks.

Comrade J.J. Kataps captured the unfortunate Taraba State situation in an exclusive chat with our reporter, when he lamented that every sector has collapsed under Governor Ishaku’s administration.

“Every institution has collapsed, local governments staff salaries are owed, pensioners are owed, the worst hit are those retiring from the Primary Schools, university lecturers are not been paid, ministries and parastatals are complaining of running cost. Even the creation of chiefdom that we lauded in 2018 has collapsed. For example, in my Local Governments, they have bastardised the exercise by removing this one and appointing this one tomorrow, court injunctions here and there, so many things are simply wrong.

“We pride ourselves with road network, where is the one in Bali to Gembu, Jen to Karim, has it been completed? If the 4 billion wasted in the green farm was utilized, they would have done wonderful things.

“What was this Governor’s contribution to Taraba before 2015. You cannot feel pain for something you didn’t labor for. The NLC here has collapsed. He has wrecked the NUT in Taraba state, and they even sponsored the creation of a union which doesn’t fall under the concurrent list. He is just busy doing what he wants and the House of Assembly is not doing anything about it, it has become a House of approval.

“Tarabans are not fools. For me, it is very sad. Whoever will succeed in 2023, I pray for the person because there is a big task at hand, fixing the mess on ground will take a lot.

“I cannot sit and sing praises when people are wallowing in abject poverty. The families of pensioner are wallowing in poverty, sickness, diseases and death while the person presiding over the state who swore to protect the interest of the people is there.” He lamented.

JJ Kataps, a former Chairman Nigeria Union of Teachers, NUT, Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC, Local Government Service Commission, sees no hope in the Governor Ishaku led administration’s political will in making a positive impact on the state.

Taraba State is already on a life support machine, panting and gasping for survival. For now, there is no hope in sight that it will recover and get back to the condition it was before the Governor Ishaku led administration took over.

Additional Reports from
Jethro Yerga, Christiana Babayo

IN THIS PIECE, JETHRO YERGA WRITES ON THE EFFORTS THAT THE NIGERIA’S MINISTER OF POWER, ENGR SALE MAMMAN IS MAKING TO RESTORE THE LOST GLORY OF THE POWER SECTOR IN NIGERIA

Since his assumption of office, the Minister of Power, Engr. Sale Mamman has been making silent but concerted efforts towards repositioning the Power Sector in Nigeria.

In the few years that he has charge of the power Sector, the Hon. minister Engr. Sale Mamma has continue to widen his scope of progress as the most successful Minister of Power in the country.

It is now very glaring that apart from achieving a transmission record of about 8,000MW through infrastructural improvement within his few years in office, distribution of electricity had reached a record of about 6,000MW while the generation capacity has increased to 13,000MW from 8,000MW.

Hon. Sale Mamman took over the Ministry that was almost was almost uncoordinated as many Agencies under the Ministry claimed some measure of autonomy and they gleefully told him so. It took some painstaking administrative measures to whip them into line. The Minister made it clear to them that his mission was to achieve an effective energy system that aligns generation and transmission of power with distribution so as to avail improved Power supply to the country. With the categorization or banding of consumers based on the capability to pay, electricity supply has generally improved and the supply now ranges between seven and twenty hours in respective areas, barring any challenges of faulty equipment.

The Minister is equally committed to the Presidential Power Initiative, otherwise known as, the Siemens project. The project which targets the distribution of 7,000MW of electricity, in 2021, 11,000MW in 2022 and 25,00MW by 2023 is also aimed at providing high tension substations, thousands of transformers and thousands of transmission lines across all parts of the country.  This will further consolidate TCN’s transmission Rehabilitation and Expansion programme for which foreign financial supports have been secured.

In order to revolutionize and ease learning processes in Nigerian schools, the Federal Ministry of Power, under Engr. Sale Mama has embarked on a program to electrify 200 Primary Health Centers and all the 104 Unity Schools in the country.  The mini-grid is also designed to provide solar powered street lights to the immediate communities of the PHCs and within the environment of the Unity Schools. This giant stride will no doubt facilitate uninterrupted healthcare services to rural communities in the country.

The program which is being handled by the Rural Electrification Agency is expected to enhance the security arrangements around the schools. It is also envisaged to create jobs and provide energy access to the unserved or under-served communities across all the geo-political zones under the Federal Government’s plan to achieve 30% renewable energy sources by 2030.

Again, apart from the expansion projects carried out at the Jalingo substation and the installation of transformers in many locations in Taraba State, the Minister has also successfully obtained approval for the establishment of a Regional power institute on Mambilla Plateau for the training of artisans in anticipation of the completion of the Mambilla hydro power project.

On the 40MW Kashimbila dam, Engr. Mamman had ensured that the project was completed. What is left presently is the evacuation of the Power into the National grid. Contract has been awarded for the construction of a 133KVA transmission line to the Yandev substation before distribution to parts of Benue and Taraba State, where the dam is located. Activities are also on top gear to evacuate Power from the 70MW Dadinkowa dam in Gombe State.

Furthermore, the Zungeru Power Project is another giant stride the Minister has embarked upon and is not giving a breathing space to see it to the completion. He had personally visited the site of the project early last year when the work was barely 50 percent. Presently, Zungeru Power project is now a reality at about 90 percent completion.

The full structure of the dam, at about the height of an eight storey building has been completed and the installation of rotors and other engineering components are ongoing.

It is also worthy to note that the Power Sector under the watch of Engr. Sale Mamman has begun construction of the electromechanical and transmission lines. The towers for the evacuation of 139kva power to the Shiroro substation has started while the 133kva lines to Tegina will commence after the security situation in the area is normalized. All equipment for execution of these projects are on site and work is progressing diligently by the Chinese contractors.

The project is also financed by China EXIMBANK, with 25% counterpart funding by the Federal Government. By December this year, the project is expected to be fully delivered by President Muhammadu Buhari’s government, giving further vent to the effort to tackle the problem of electricity in the country.

Perhaps, Nigerians should also be reminded that following the partial privatization of the Power Sector, the Distribution companies had signed a multi-year tariff order, MYTO, which prescribed a periodic increase of electricity tariffs in collaboration with their regulator, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC).

However, the government continues to subsidize the sector with billions of Naira every month, as Nigerians continue to cry over high tariffs and in-efficiency in the distribution of Power. Nigerians should know that the country’s decision to divest 60% stakes in to the distribution companies in 2013 was greatly flawed. The government now pays for un- used or undistributed Power through NBET.

This situation has created a huge liability since failure to subsidize means increase in tariffs by distribution companies. The government has also stepped in to provide about six million meters, a responsibility which the Discos also accepted when they bought the companies. Doing the right thing is always a challenge for every leader who is serious about delivering on his mandate.

It may be the reason; Engr. Sale Mamman may not be popular to some people who want to dent his efforts with politics. However, suffice is to say that with these and other on-going projects, the Power Sector under Engr. Sale Mamman is not only improving but holds great potential for monumentally mitigating the frustration of Nigerians in the performance of the sector.

MAMBILLA HYDROELECTRIC POWER PROJECT WAS AN AMOEBA, WITH NEITHER SHAPE NOR DIRECTION TO HOLD ONTO. BUT ENGR. SALE MAMMAN IS PULLING THE PROJECT FROM THE PRECIPICE TO A STAND OF REALITY. WILLIAMS AYOOSO TAKES A LOOK AT SOME OF THESE INNOVATIVE STEPS THAT THE POWER MINISTER IS TAKING.

Before the coming of Engr. Mamman Sale on the stage as the Minister of Power, the Mambilla Hydro Power project was like an octopus that has many of its troublesome hands spread all over the places. With a shape that can best be described as the popular biology’s amoeba, it had no hope for reality; as such there was no solution in sight. For more than 40 years, the project has being asphyxiated by unbridled policy directions, such that, at a time, it was easy to conclude that the project was a mere conduit pipe that successful administrations have erected to siphon money from government treasury.

 But Engr. Sale is gradually changing the narrative. With the support of the President, the Minister is bringing innovations and initiatives to bear on the power industry, with Mambilla Hydro Power project taking its fair share of the reforms.  He has removed the Mambilla Power Project from the drawing board, where it has languished for more than forty years since conception, drawing it closer to the stage of reality.

In December, 2019, the Ministry facilitated the presentation of cheques for the commencement of demarcation and survey activities at the dam sites. This exercise which took place at Trancorp Hotel Abuja was conducted in the presence of stakeholders, Traditional rulers and host community leaders. In the spirit of accelerated project execution, the Minister constituted two special committees, the Ministerial Committee on the Mambilla Hydropower project and the Project Delivery Committee on the Mambilla Hydropower project. The committees were mandated to work closely with officials of the Taraba State Ministry of Power, not only for the speedy execution of the project but to boost the interest of state government in the project.

Under this collaborative engagement with the Taraba State government, land and aerial survey activities were successfully conducted. Sensitization and enlightenment activities have also been carried out with the full buy-in and participation of stakeholders and the host communities.

The Mambilla power project has suffered at different fronts.  Among its mountain heap of challenges, litigation stands out as an ugly giant in the hall full of ugly dwarfs. The project was previously awarded to a local contractor, Sunrise Power Transmission and Procurement Company in 2003 at a cost of $2.3 billion. But it turned out that, the company was merely fronting for a foreign company. When the Federal Government, under President Mohammed Buhari administration discovered this lapse, it decided to deal directly with Sinohydro, the Chinese Company that was engaged by Sunrise. It was on this basis that Sunrise took the Federal Government to the International Chamber of Commerce Court of Arbitration in France. The legal tussle became a clog in wheel of the project’s progress, as the Federal Government considered the demands of the applicant a herculean task.

However, last year, relieve came on the way of the Federal Government as Sunrise accepted an out of court settlement of two hundred million dollars; the money that the Federal Government is ready to pay.

This was followed by the revocation of Sunrise Power Transmission and Procurement Company Limited contract, thereby clearing the legal hurdle that formed a barrier on the way of the project’s progress.

There are other steps that government is taking to ease the process of completing the project. Aside from the strength of collaboration which the Ministry is building with the host state, Taraba, other policy directions are being considered.

Already, President Mohammed Buhari has directed the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Agency, NSIA to re-evaluate the scope of the project, so as to make it less cumbersome and bankable in order to facilitate easy foreign financing. In this direction, the Dam will be scaled down to N1, 500MW instead of its previous status of 3.050MW. This will reduce the cost and period of execution.

Explaining the impact of this adjustment to the Nigerian Senate, Engr Mamman said:

“The idea of rescoping the project is to make it bankable. The market that we are operating today in Nigeria is different from the market that was operated when the Mambilla project was conceived.

“Today we need a project that can be paid for in the market. We are funding the project with loan from a lender who is only interested in funding a project that can pay back the loan. Most of the issues around the Mambilla power plant are on bankability of the project. What we did was to redesign the project to be bankable and acceptable to the lenders.” He said.

Not long ago, the Minister received the management team of the Chinese Firm handling the Mambilla Hydroelectric Project in his office. The team was led by the Vice President of the China Gezhouba Group International Engineering Company, Mr Yuan Baoy.

Briefing the team on the progress of the work so far, the Project Delivery Committee (PDC) Chairman, Engr. Faruk Yabo, revealed that the Ministry of Power has already committed 200 million Naira to the training of junior and mid-level artisans, ensuring the availability of manpower for the project. These include electricians, plumbers, Masons, drivers & cooks.

The $5.8 billion Mambilla power plant in Taraba State planned over three decades ago was designed to generate 3,050 megawatts of electricity. In 2017, the Federal Government approved the construction of the project to a Chinese state firm. China’s Export-Import Bank will provide 85 percent of the funding and Nigerian government will supply the remaining 15 percent for the joint venture.

There is no gain stating the obvious that with these innovative steps of the Buhari administration, under the supervision of Engr Sale Mamman as Minister, the project will soon see the light of the day.

Engr Sale Mamman went to the Works training School Yola, Kaduna Polytechnic for his Ordinary National Diploma and Higher National Diploma and then to Bayero University Kano for his Bachelors of Science and Master of Science Degrees in Electrical Engineering. He later did another Master’s Degree in Management and he is a fellow of the Nigerian Society of Engineers, NSE.