‘How Jonathan approved, killed hydropower commission’
I will like to draw you back to the history of hydro power generation in Nigeria. The construction of Kainji dam forced more than 4,000 communities to be displaced. They agreed to be displaced by our then leaders because they saw it as a national project. It was the largest single project of the first national development plan and it began operation in 1968 as a dam, generating electricity for Nigeria, Niger and even Cameroon.
It took about five years before commissioning of the dam. When it was commissioned, Nigeria entered a bilateral obligation to supply power to Niger and to many parts of the country, then later, Yauri. Even at that, we have the poorest supply of power in this country.
To create the lake that generates power, a large proportion of our land was impounded. It created challenges ranging from ecological, developmental, loss of resources and source of income and loss of traditional industries.
Yauri is one of the oldest weaving and dying industries dating back to the transSaharan trade. But all those were destroyed. The town of Yauri was completely submerged while new structures were built for the people - structures that further eliminated our people because people who were relocated were far away from their sources of livelihood, including farming, fishing and trading. These were the challenges we suffered. Our agitation dated as far back as the commissioning of the dam itself.
It was that agitation that made the National Assembly in 1999 to start the process of initiating the HYPPADEC bill. It was initially intended to address the ecological menace of hydropower generation in the four states, including Kebbi, Niger, Kwara and Kogi states along the Niger River.
President Olusegun Obasanjo, in 2000, did nothing about it after it was passed. After flooding in 2002, he took a helicopter ride and saw the level of suffering around the Niger area but did nothing about it. In his second term in 2003, his relationship with northern politicians took a terrible turn and that affected the fortunes of the bill as he had declared war on the North and northern politicians.
HYPPADEC has been a victim of high-wired politics and the division and disagreement between our northern political leaders and presidents from the South - Obasanjo and Jonathan. During President Yar’Adua, the bill was re-debated and packaged. But with his demise, it was Jonathan who signed it into law. Even at that, it was political rather than a sincere desire to bring it to fruition.
What he did that almost killed the bill was to take it back to the National Assembly for reconsideration. He complained about the 10 per cent contribution that would come from the Ecological Fund to be reduced to one per cent. There is a portion that the state must pay, there is the one from the federal government, and the power companies have a part to pay to fund the HYPPADEC. It was also during his time that other states came into the HYPPADEC struggle. Benue, Plateau and Taraba were included even when they had not commenced any hydropower generation.
The headquarters for HYPPADEC was to be situated in Minna, Niger State. Through the efforts of the former governor, Aliyu Babangida, a building was designated for the Commission. But that is not where it should end. From my over 10 years of engagement over this issue, our greatest challenge has been the indifference of governors of HYPPADEC states. There is no concerted effort on their part, the struggle has remained community-based.
While building the Kainji dam, was any compensation paid to communities?
Yauri was promised an inland pater port. If you go there now you will see the earlier attempt of that project. We were also promised constant power supply. Eighty per cent of where the generation of power is taking place and the lake itself is in Yauri. We were promised improved navigation, that the River Niger would be drained so that transportation would take place from the sea to Niamey in Niger Republic. There is also the promise of employment, improvement of agriculture and fishery, but nothing happened.
Has the Act been amended as Jonathan directed?
Obviously, the amendment Jonathan asked for died with the Seventh National Assembly. Jonathan accented to the Act and signed it into law, but instead of doing it immediately, he sent for amendment on the 10 per cent Ecological Fund so they could reduce it to one per cent. That tells you that the intention was not honourable. The last Senate passed its amendment, but the House of Representatives did not do that.
What do you expect from the new government?
The president can ask for the Commission to be set up and it will be done because it is already a law in existence. Even Discos and Gencos have been paying the 10 per cent royalty already based on this Act. So nothing stops the president from immediately commissioning the project.
This has become more urgent in the light of the warnings that are being given about the incoming floods in these states. If this commission has been in place, all these incessant flooding that happened in many parts of Kebbi, Niger and Kogi, especially in the 2012 infamous flood would have been addressed by the Commission.
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