While Nigeria struggles to improve its power supply, the ongoing power project in Kaduna state has reportedly been stalled by land dispute among the people of the area.
The Managing Director of Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), Mr. Sule Abdulazeez recently lamented that local landowners within the site are hindering the completion of the 215KVA power project in the State as they protest against the compensation given to them by the government.
Speaking while in Kaduna on inspection of Kudenda power lines, Mr. Abdulazeez said the completion of the project is being delayed because the landowners complained that compensation offered to them is too small.
Orient Energy Review Magazine gathered that one of the landowners in Kudandan community, affected by the site of the power project, Martins John, said that about 200 houses in the community are affected but the compensations offered to them by the government are not commensurate with what they stand to lose.
“We actually come with regards to energy cables that pass through our community, which started sometimes back I think 6 years ago; the case is now in the court because they said they will pay people with landed properties only. Houses of people with structures were poorly offered as low as N80,000 and N90,000 and we don’t want that,” Mr. Martins said.
Meanwhile, the TCN boss told journalists that the company in its rules and regulations only compensates properties and crops, saying that “all lands belong to the government.”
He however noted that the Kudanda project which, according to him, is at 80% completion will boost power supply in the northwest region of the country.
“We are here at Kudanda power station. This power is generating 215 MW and we are to evacuate the power to Mando station 330kv substation in Kaduna.
“So what we are doing now is that we are building a 330kva transmission lines from kudanda to Mando and in addition to that also, we have the Gurara station that is generating 30 megawatts. That project has been completed a long time ago and the minister of power resources is writing to the minister of power to make sure that we finish this one here.
“One of the reasons why we have not completed this here is because we have issues. The honorable minister directed me to come here to talk to the contractor and find a solution to the problems we have with land owners.
“Secondly our 330 line in Mando, there is a land there that they are asking for compensation which according to TCN rules and regulations, we only pay for crops and properties, we don’t pay for land because the land belongs to the government.
“We are also talking to the Kaduna state government to find a way of resolving that issue. These are the things that are holding that project. The project is 80% completed and the contractor assured us that they are going to finish it before the end of this year,” Mr. Abdulazeez said.
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