The Transmission Company of Nigeria, TCN, says as part of efforts to upgrade the National grid, plans have been concluded to wheel in 2,000 mega watts of electricity to Kano state.
This it says, would help to boost business activities in Nigeria’s second largest commercial city.
The Minister of Power, Mr Abubakar Aliyu stated this during a site visit to the Dan Agundi substation in company of the Kano state Governor Dr. Umar Ganduje.
He said Kano currently receives only 600 mega watts of power, which is grossly inadequate for the industrial city, hence the arrangement to increase power supply to the state with additional 2,000 mega watts.
He, however said the expansion plan is facing setbacks as individuals and companies have encroached into the right of way of the TCN by building houses and factories along the power line, thereby hindering the plan.
He said the distance is about 9.7 kilometers and TCN has all equipments on ground to begin to wheel in the power from the Kumbotso substation but cannot, as people have built along the right of way.
According to him, TCN had paid compensation for the right of way 50 years ago when the line was first installed but not eager to quickly destroy properties of those who encroached into the line, hence the appeal to Governor Ganduje to prevail on the people to vacate for work to commence in earnest.
“The main reason why we are here is for the governor to see more of our problems because seeing is believing. We want to bring in more electricity to Kano. The line has aged, it is over 50 years old. The capacity has reduced and we cannot reconduct because of the encumbrance along the right of way.
“You can not go in with equipment to go and work. So we have to get these people to move out but they are our people, so we have to find ways of talking to them and the closest person to them is the governor.
He has promised to intervene. We want his intervention to be as quickly as possible so that our men can move in and work,”said the Minister.
The Minister said similar emcombarances were earlier faced at the Rimi Zakara substation, however compensations were paid to settlers along the right of way in collaboration with the Kano state government.
He said three months grace has been given to them to relocate so that the new brand 2 by 150 MBA plus 2 by 60 MBA in the brand new 330 substation which is fully completed can be energised for Kano and its environs.
Kano state Governor Dr. Umar Ganduje said prompt action will be taken on the request to clear the right of way to the Dan Agundi substation as Kano being a commercial nerve center and the most populus state in the country is in dire need of sustainable power to be injected into the state.
He said the state will do everything possible to bring in such huge amount of power, the 2,000 mega watts to Kano, which is more than double of the 600 mega watts currently being received.
“We have seen the problem. To provide enabling environment for you to execute the project is a task that must be done and actions will start by tomorrow.
“Reclaiming the right of way for which compensation had been paid is the right thing to do. I have already constituted a task force to make sure that the right of way is free. Because we cannot afford any stumbling block. Wherever the block is we are going to crash it.
“Because electricity is indespensible for the survival of everybody including Kano. No body can stop us in the quest to clear the right of way. Apart from TCN, we also have bulldozers than can do the clearance operation.”
The Minister also inspected other power projects in the state.
