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Minister of Power, Abubakar Aliyu, has said that the optimal transmission of electricity across the country is being hindered by the encroachment of lands across power lines by people in various communities.
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Aliyu who revealed this during a two-day working visit to the nine power stations in Kano, further stated that the national grid has witnessed the most rapid improvement.
The Minister also disclosed that Kano is receiving 330 single line from Kaduna which is not enough. According to him, another project has been awarded which would improve the capacity from 600 megawatts to over 2,000 megawatts and would cater for Kano and Katsina states.
He said;
“One of our biggest challenges is how people are living on the ways we will pass our cables that will generate power to the various destinations.
“The national grid has witnessed the most rapid improvement ever. As it is now, the capacity can take up to 7,800 megawatts or more but it may not be useful if it is not up taken as the distribution capacity is not up to that.
“So part of the challenge is the right of way which we are facing. We need people to vacate the ways through which the wires can pass. Some people were paid before, but still they didn’t vacate the places. Our agreement with the German company will raise the National Grid to 25,000 by 2025.”
Aliyu who also appealed to Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano state to provide a way for the Transmission Company of Nigeria to pass its cables to improve the power system in the state, also assured Nigerians that all ongoing power projects would be completed by the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.
He said;
“Like here, we need 10km of space to execute this project. But, we cannot move in with our equipment and reconduct because we are having problems of ‘right of way’ which is occupied by houses, stores and companies of the people.”
Ganduje on his own part said a committee had been constituted and would commence work towards providing way for power cables to pass in the state.
He said;
“It is worth noting that we have compensated all of them to evacuate the path. Yet, they refuse to move.
“Nevertheless, we shall deliberate with them once more and if they refuse to move after another notice, we will embark on a demolition exercise”
