Taraba zone where only two towns are connected to national grid
Despite the completion of 40 megawatts Kashinbila hydro power station, only two towns are currently connected to the national grid in the entire Taraba central senatorial zone.
The central senatorial zone comprises of Bali, Gassol, Kurmi, Gashaka and Sardauna Local Government Areas.
Findings revealed that the two towns connected to the National grid in the zone are Mutum Biyu - the headquarters of Gassol Local Government Area and Suntai in Bali Local Government Area, which is the home town of late Governor Danbaba Suntai.
Suntai town, it was gathered, was linked to the National grid from Maraban Baissa in Donga Local Government Area located in the southern senatorial zone because of the influence of the late governor.
The second town in the zone enjoying power supply - Mutum Biyu, is home town of the present deputy governor of the state, Alhaji Haruna Manu.
Serti, Gembu, Bali, Tella, Maihula, Garba Chede, Baissa, Ngurore, Maisamari, Mayo Ndaga and Sabongida are some commercial towns in the zone, but lack of electricity supply from the National grid has been slowing down rapid economic development of these towns and the zone in particular.
Similarly, Mambilla Plateau and Gashaka Gumti National Park are located in Sardauna and Gashaka local government areas all in Taraba central zone, and are blessed with tourism and huge natural resources.
The Gashaka Gumti National Park which attracts tourists from within and outside the country rely on generating plants for its electricity supply, a situation which makes operation of the park very costly.
A former Commissioner of works, Engineer Yahaya Mafindi, told Daily Trust on Sunday that Taraba is the only state in the country where a whole senatorial district has no electricity supply from the National grid.
He said the zone has the highest population in the state with mineral and agricultural resources but lack of electricity supply is hampering industrial development of the zone.
According to him, the Tea industry located in Sardauna LGA is run by a small power station and generators, thereby increasing cost of production.
Engineer Yahaya explained that the Gashaka Gumti National Park, which is the highest in size and biodiversity with high population of wild life and birds in the entire West Africa, has no power supply from the National grid.
A community leader in Gembu, Yakubu Saidu, also expressed dismay over the failure of present and past governments in the state to pay attention to electricity supply in the rural areas as is done in other zones despite huge human and natural resources.
He said all businesses in towns and villages in the zone are run with generators which makes business very costly.
Yakubu stated that in the past years, most of the local government headquarters and semi-urban areas in the state are provided with heavy duty generating plants that supply electricity for about six hours daily under Rural Electricity Supply Agency.
He however said the generating plants are no more functioning because the government could not continue to shoulder the cost of fuel supply and maintenance of the generating plants across the states.
Findings showed that unlike Taraba central senatorial zone, the Southern senatorial and Northern senatorial zones are connected and enjoying power supply from the National grid.
For example, all the five local government headquarters in the Southern senatorial zone - Ibbi, Wukari, Donga, Ussa and Takum, are connected to the National grid.
Similarly, headquarters of Ardo-Kola, Yorro, Lau Jalingo and Zing, as well as many towns in the Northern senatorial zone are connected to the National grid.
However, with the completion of the 40 megawatts Kashinbila hydro Power station about three years ago, it was expected that power supply in the state and in the central senatorial zone will improve.
It was gathered that the station was test ran and all the four turbines each with installed capacity of generating 10 megawatts are functional.
A source at the station who would not like his name mentioned said an evacuation line was erected from the station to Benue State and also linked Takum, Wukari and Donga substations.
He said one turbine is always being operated and power supplied to all substations and to Benue State.
The source further stated that communities in Wukari, Donga, Ibbi and Takum towns, all in the southern senatorial zone, would not enjoy power supply from the station until all the existing supply lines in the communities are over hauled and necessary repairs conducted.
He said presidential approval was being awaited and funds release for evacuation lines to be mounted from the station to the central zone of the state which currently does not enjoy power supply from the National grid.
The source further explained that the capacity of Kashinbila hydro power station could meet the energy need of the entire state and even supply to other neighbouring states.
The state Commissioner of power, Dr Badina Garba, told Daily Trust on Sunday that Governor Darius lshaku has mandated him to make a comprehensive list of transformers in the Southern zone, including all the local government areas in the central zone located along transmission lines.
He said when that is done, the state will benefit from evacuation of electricity from Kashinbila hydro power station.
The commissioner also stated that President Muhammadu Buhari has given approval for the evacuation of power from the Kashinbila power station to parts of the state.