Taraba Central Senatorial District, which is made up of Sardauna, Gashaka, Kurmi, Bali and Gassol was, and still is the only senatorial district out the One Hundred and Nine (109) districts, the only Five (5) Local Government area out of the Seven Hundred and Seventy Four (774) in Nigeria that has been left out of National Grid since independence.
The National Power Grid (Electrical grid), is an interconnected network for delivering electricity nationwide. National Grid is the high-voltage electric power transmission network covering Nigeria, connecting power stations and major substations and ensuring that electricity generated anywhere in the country and it can be used to satisfy demand elsewhere.
The network covers the great majority of Federal Republic of Nigeria and some of the surrounding countries. Notably, it does not cover Taraba central (Sardauna, Gashaka, Kurmi, Bali and Gassol Local Government areas of Central Taraba; it is part of a multiple (YEDCO, KEDCO, etc) electricity market that which distributes/electricity supply in the country.
Sadly, the good people of Taraba Central zone keeps believing that a Government will come that will remember them by connecting them to the National Grid, yet governments came and left there wasn’t any hope of light in sight. A blink of hope came with the Kashimbila Dam which is situated in Takum Local government area of Southern senatorial district, hoping that with the proximity of the dam to them, it was a ray of hope.
But to their greatest dismay even when the Kashimbila hydro Dam transmission is been map on how the power grid line from Kashimbila Dam will run, the zone was yet left out to remain in darkness. Power supply in central Taraba (Sardauna, Gashaka, Kurmi, Bali and Gassol) will mean:
- Boosting the Tourism potentials of the zone especially that of Mambilla Plateau, where investors can build more hotels and chalets for tourists, and cable cars across mountains.
- A boost in Agriculture, power will be used in processing and storing of Agricultural products such as Banana, Avocado pear, Pineapple, Beef etc. It will be used for dry season irrigation and cattle range irrigation to aid ranging
- It will also created job opportunities for other SMEs in the axis.
Some questions that are desperately seeking answers about this National Grid and central Taraba; could it be most part of the district is part of the Trust Territory? Could it be because they don’t generate power? Could it be because of political reasons? Could it be that all the Senators and Reps members from the zone went to the National Assembly to sleep or warm the benches? A million dollar questions hitherto unanswered.
Though an inside source reliably gathered that Hon David Abel Fouh, member representing Sardauna, Gashaka and Kurmi Federal constituency, a first timer who was inaugurated not long ago has priorities the issue of power in his constituency and has already written to the Federal Ministry of Power, Works and housing and a Bill in that regards is undergoing final touches to presented on the floor of the green chambers in the national assembly.
I wish to sincerely appreciate President Muhammadu Buhari for giving Taraba state the minister of Power, and Congratulate Hon Sale Mamman on his appointment as a substantive minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, it is the hope of the good people of Nigeria that Mamman will solve the power problem in Nigeria, especially that of Taraba state.
I hereby join millions of Nigeria to pray, that God will grant him wisdom to turn our power problem around and maximizing all the natural resources that abound in the country to generate power. and address this extortion by the Discos in the name of estimated billing.
JD Yaji, a social commentator and a public policy analyst based in Jalingo.
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Sky Daily
