Boost for Nasarawa Hydropower Project
President Muhammadu Buhari has taken over completion of the 20 Megawatts Farin Ruwa Hydropower project initiated by the Nasarawa State government within 24 months, reports Igbawase Ukumba
Available statistics from the consulting firm for the Farin Ruwa Multipurpose Dam project - Kwarra in Wamba Local Government Area of Nasarawa State, Poseidon Tech Limited, showed that the Farin Ruwa Hydropower project has a dam with an earthfill embarkment with a cress length of 745 metres and a height of about 65 metres. The dam also has a reservoir capacity of 73 million cubic litres, with an area capacity of about 5.3 kilometres sqare.
Nevertheless, the statistics revealed further that the Farin Ruwa Dam's risen water level storage to fill up to the annual average flow will be about 420 metres. Other parts of the dam include a spillway, a power house, dam protection; both up stream and down stream, access road through the dam up to Manga settlement. A saddle dam of about 500 metres up to a height of about 10 metres and a 4.3 metres penstock.
Other available records showed that the project was conceived in 2003 and the contract awarded in 2004 by the first democratically elected governor of Nasarawa State, Senator Abdullahi Adamu. By the time his administration ended in 2007, the overall execution of the project stood at 60 per cent completion with a total expenditure of N5.8 billion.
Unfortunately, the Farin Ruwa Hydropower project was stalled during the administration of late Governor Aliyu Akwe Doma principally due to the state's dwindling finances. However the administration was able to do three key things; the payment of compensation to the natives whose farmlands were affected; termination of partnership agreement with the original contractor and taken up fully by the defunct Nasarawa Energy Company (NEC); which is now Nasarawa Electricity Power Agency (NASEPA).
That was the situation when former Governor Umaru Tanko Al-Makura took power in 2011, as explained by a former permanent secretary in the Federal Ministry Of Water Resources; who is an indigene of Nasarawa State, Dr. Musa Ibrahim Weng, during the flag off of completion of the project by the federal government on June 12, 2021 at Manga settlement in Wamba Local Government Area of the state.
The former federal permanent secretary said: "Governor Al-Makura's preoccupation at this time was to try and source for a reputable partner to complete the project. However Al-Makura was frank that the state government had no money to complete the project. The governor then sent a letter to the Minister of Water Resources, Engineer Suleiman Adamu, on the 26th of April, 2018 requesting the take off of the project by the federal government, and the minister responded immediately.
"The minister said although the project is an initiative of the state government, its passion for completion is commendable, and also in tandem with the vision of Mr President to see to the completion of projects with direct benefits to the Nigerian people. Consequently, the ministry will engage further with the state government to fashion out a way towards taking over this project."
Following the result of this interaction between the two parties (former governor Al-Makura and Minister of Water Resources, Mr Weng disclosed that the minister wrote to Mr President on September 11, 2018 seeking for approval for the ministry to take over the Farin Ruwa Dam project. He continued that the minister also widened the scope of the project to include the dam, water supply, irrigation and hydropower generation.
"On October 15, 2018, the Federal Ministry of Water Resources received Mr. President's approval for the take over of the project from the state government along with N700 million takeoff grant. Immediately after that, a Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the federal and the Nasarawa State governments," Mr Weng concluded.
For former Governor Abdullahi Adamu; the initiator of the Farin Ruwa Hydropower project, it was an absolute gratefulness to God who has made the day possible. Acccording to the former governor and now senator representing Nasarawa West Senatorial District in the National Assembly, "Ten years ago, if I were told that this will happen at the human level of thinking, I probably say I don't think so. But here we are today.
"This project was sought out and conceived in 2003 and which implementation started here in 2004. I left office May 29, 2007 and that started to spell the end of the fortune of the project. I saw it. All the living people who are around have seen it. The little we have achieved was completely vandalised. So I am short of words to express my gratitude to Governor Abdullahi Sule and the Minister of Water Resources for putting their heads together and see to it that the project was revived."
Senator Adamu's prayer at the flag off of completion of the hydropower project was that this intention which is being actualised, God will see it to a fruitful completion that the people whom the project was conceived for will live to have the benefits of the project.
"Every Kobo that was put in this project was not from Abdullahi Adamu's pocket. It was public money. When it was left to waste, it was public money that was allowed to waste. So words alone cannot say how gratefully I am personally and how gratefully these people from this part of Nigeria, and those who will come from other parts of Nigeria to benefit," the former Nasarawa State governor maintained.
The success story of the Farin Ruwa Hydropower project can not be
completed without the input of the immediate past governor of the state, Senator Umaru Tanko Al-Makura, who approached the federal government to take over the project.
At the flag off of completion of the hydropower project at Manga settlement, Senator Al-Makura appreciated all those who played key roles that led to the flag off of completion of the Farin Ruwa Dam project.
Al-Makura specifically thanked President Muhammadu Buhari for not only agreeing to take over the project, but for always coming to the aid of the state, which the erstwhile governor considered as Buhari's second home.
In the same vein, Governor Abdullahi Sule also sought further intervention from the federal government to enable the state generate 50 megawatts of power from the Farin Ruwa Hydropower project during the flag off ceremony for the completion work on the Farin Ruwa Dam.
Specifically, the Nasarawa State governor requested for the Ministry of Water Resources to assist the state towards generating 25 megawatts at the table of the Farin Ruwa waterfalls and another 25 megawatts, at the Farin Ruwa dam when completed.
According to Governor Sule, "the entire Nasarawa State requires only about 10 megawatts of power, with the remaining 40 megawatts to be generated be uploaded to the national grid to power the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). The Farin Ruwa Falls, as one of the most beautiful waterfalls in the world, the federal government will write its name in gold if it carried out the project.
"Even though the original concept by the initiator of the hydropower project and first civilian governor of the state, Abdullahi Adamu was to produce only 25 megawatts of power, my administration has a vision to upscale the project to 50 megawatts. As an engineer, I can see that at the table of the falls, 25 megawatts can be easily generated. Then you have the dam. By the time the water floods and with 73 million litres of water, coupled with the depth of the dam, you can easily generate
another 25 megawatts. 10 megawatts is enough to power the entire Nasarawa State, you have 40 megawatts to go to Abuja," Governor Sule explained.
The governor, who thanked President Buhari for agreeing to take over the Farin Ruwa Dam project from the state government, further commended him for not hesitating to execute meaningful projects that will have impact on the lives of the people.
The governor said: "The President wants to make impact. We want to copy from the President and make impact. We will make that impact with this project. I equally appreciated my predecessors, who are present at the event, as well as a retired permanent secretary at the Federal Ministry of Water Resources, Dr. Musa Weng, for their contributions towards the actualisation of the project.
"I recall that on assumption of office, I was told that over N5 billion was expended on the project which was abandoned since 2007, with the facilities mostly vandalised and I promised that such amount of money must not be allowed to waste. I specially appreciated the Minister of Water Resources, Engineer Suleiman Adamu, for the various projects and support to the state."
Flagging-off the project, the Minister of Water Resources, Engineer Adamu, said President Muhammadu Buhari approved the take over of the Farin Ruwa Earth Dam project from the Nasarawa State government in 2018. According to the minister, President Buhari not only approved for the takeover of the project, but also additional proposal for expanding the project to include a regional water scheme and construction of irrigation infrastructure of about 2,000 hectres to serve people of the area.
Adamu disclosed: "My ministry awarded contract for the construction of the multipurpose earth dam project in Kwarra, Wamba Local Government Area, to a Chinese firm, Messrs Wiz China Worldwide Engineering Limited, in November 2020, with a completion period of 24 months. I therefore appreciate the Nasarawa State government for constructing the 15 kilometres Sisinbaki/ Kwarra road, which will facilitate the quick execution of the project."