Thursday, October 6, 2011
PC\g e 44, THl 5D AY, Vo l. 16, No. 6009
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BusinessWORLD development Benue: Searching for Power to Boost Agric Economy
The improvement oj fhe current palVer sitJ)atian in Be/lUe State alld its envirollS has been identified as fhe weapon that would galval/.ise file agricultural potential oj the food basket state, which would in f llm lead fa agricultural activities that have been predicted to gel/erate aver ;~10 billion. revenue annualLy to the country. George Olmh I\Irites OIL the effort oj the state government fo bril/g this fa reality
A
griculrure w(ridwide has been idrntirte'(l lIS the key illgredicnt to allY mun ry's Slabk: trooOmit pu\vth. and in a mrut:h towards the dimination of hunger ill most rountri~ in Africa.
In JI.Ii,!!eri;1dlz.e to pooc and weakening illfr.t~. the polen-linl :lgriculluml.puduee hold~ for the oountry as a major foreign rel~nue e:Ilner is : et to be tripped. E.-.;perts have st lIed that ir the ro,mlt)' mu~ make allY heacJway ill improl'ing a,!!rX ulturnl act il' ili~ and creating wealth for the ciliz.~ of tlr- rounll!'. then tlw:re \lIUS!. be it nteChllni ~ approxtt to agriculture. os s
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Currently the state 'government has j ust constructed three waterworks of a total capacity of 130,000 cubic metres a day but the state requires assistance from AfDE for pipelille articulation and small water treatment schemes · for the rural areas
Suswan's Stratagem In Benue St.1te, Governor Gabriel Suswarn h.'\S identifi ed electric power gel1l'T<llion and distribution as key ing~ienl to the 1t:5UI'gcnce of agricu ltuml attillities. The g<)'TTTJOr said this when he ~i'ied the count!)' ~t.1live of MriCllIl Dc\~lopment Bank (AIDB) in Mak un.li. the stale capital. He OOIeti tllal he look the very rtrst Sleps 1{1\\'lIftis entn:nching Iwnessing the ngricu lt tual poIential of the stale and wealth rn!:Ilion for Benue people 1»' de"eloping ro:KI inrrastruc:tu~ and w3ter facilities for the pcolJle. He disclosed rhal o\"er 100 romnlllnities had been linked to the. national grid, but the electrici ty in lhe ru r:tl communities hM not been allie to po'\'el' the explosion 0( wealth ~t ion th.,t he en\'i~
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1l1t ~'emQI' ~ th:ll .5C\'efa1 other c~iliting rornpanies in the .stale hacJ fllilecJ \0 opcrnle bCCl1ll!IC of the issue of the lock of ~KIe qualc cl«tricity, It ....'all for this reason tlm t he reso lved Ihat his administration IIIlISl finally ]JUI to i $ thc"is.sue of electricity deficil Ihrealcmns \0 make mil'1lrlT1l!3l of his admi nistration"s development efforts.
Power from Wa ter Accortfing to cn.~mor Susw:am.1hc stale look keen interest in [he KII~ ina-A I:l Water r"3l l \VtIere scim tislS COf1lmi~ionetJ by the Benue Slale Qo\'mtment har.I ide-mined Ih:1I i\ \t.'lS the c.1pacit)' to genrnlte OI't'r 8(X) nle!a\\'al\s of electricity; far in e:o:C'C5S o( the imt1lediate neal! of the enti re Slate. After ali the preliminary investigations inlO the ~~ibili l)' of e"tc:uling a power project at Katsina-Ala rivcr, the State c;o..~mmenl pI'Of)(Rd 10 the AfriCllll Development Bank. (AIDB) to prutnE'r it for the c;wcutioll of !he project that would h:w~ multi· plier effed on the: Benue eronomy. Suswam lold theAIDB reprcscn tatit~ . Mr. (}usmane Dare, afier :wes!mcm (If the pocentiah of KalSina Ala wliterfall 10 grntl'3fe electricit), for tlte 0\'mI1i dcvelopment of the state: and neiihbouring SlDt~ that he WlIS aW<lJe of AIDB'S' polic:), of interve;ting in Il:newable energy;mcJ rural :ICCt'SS toelec trid ty through ADFXI of A5SCmbly20 l l . "K:lIs ina-AJa J-Iydroclecu1e Dam project Mands a I-ood cllalll'C 0fI ):wr fO~icy. as il will ~~ Ihe uirle pu~ of electrici!), genernllOl1. Imgallon for fanmng. and flood c:ontrol in the: e"\~nt of greal, the emption o( grent Lake Nyos upstrenm of tlte Ri;'er Kal~ 1I1 3-AJa whidl is of greal concan 10 Nige ri a and C H1lUOUn, We nrc: also aware of )'o or Sll'alegies on rund wa ler su pply ancJ sanit.ation initiative:. whieh the state st.ands to benefiC. he added. ACCOfding 10 the gO\~. ''Curmllly the SllllC gO\'c mlllenl has just ronstrocted th~ Wllter-\'o'OfIt5 of a tool t'l\pacity of 130!XXl I;Ubic mel res a day but the Slate requires assistanee from AIDS for pipeline :mic\lialion ancJ small water tre:lllneni ~hemes for the rur.tl ~as. "Considering Ihe strategic: import:mce of this project. we aresinC":rely looking. rorwanl to t ~ PfOject and the aw:m.l of study grant fOf the octua.l ilnplementntion of the project" he adtJed, -
Viral Assessment lhe assessment was thorough \\ itll journalists ar:conip."\f\ying lhe team as they condocted their technic:!1rcse.'U'Ch on the are:!_It "''as after the technical ~an:h that the coontry rqJfeSCnt:t ti;'e!(JOke on the Dmlk·,ukcisioo . TIle AIDS (,\eclared tlmt from its filldings at tlte KaL~il)a-"la Water·fall where the fu\u1C: power pl3flt was 10 be Jocatm. the bank wou ld (und the reasibility study for the generntion of 120 megaw:l\ts for tlw: 5t.lle, The feasibility SlooY, he statecJ. wou ld kid.~ art tile laudable project.
AIDB Stance AfDB Country ~nt:ltive: in Nigeria. Mf. Ollsmaoe Dore. said the proposed Katsina-Ala plant has grea.t potent ials fQl' the@Cnerntion or power to adcJlC:SS the clericit pn:sently beill! faced by the Siatc , He Wtl though the AfDS is prol'idillg finnncin i support for the project:. it however offers technic:alassistanre through publici pri,oale sector partnership. He 5.1id the feasibility studies showed tlklt tlte potential forcitin,l tlte powerplanl at the Ril'U Kal5ina-Ala wa5C'1101lT'1OU.5. :.nd lh" t thC' bank would do ni l its best to get im:esttm fOf the proje<1, The COUlltry ~presentali\'e disc lO5Cd that AIDB ha.~ e~peJldecJ Ol'C:f 15 billion dollars on 19 projects. :Hlt.I;ng t11.11 presentl y they are spending 25 billion OOIlm in dirrmnt ~m or the Nif!(Ti:m C-C'ODOflly.
TsaVS3r Analysis Speaking furtiler 011 the project. the Senior Special Assistanllo on 1'roja:H. Mr. Joscph TS.l~r,~d the prOjecl provide power II) the national rrid. llWIintainilll! thai the state goVCTllmenl would do a ~ing (lr tile project. wilh :t view to wooi ng investors Tsal'S3r staled Ihat ttle Ka t<: in:t-Ala Powe r Projed was critk"llJ.tU tile ....~Ith 0011011 progra:nme of Suswam. hence: it would b: pur!iUCd with di li~ nil the way. He .o;aid that the I\ID8 al!mXl to p:utner with the Iknue SUle Government because of the- serious work. Ihal otTldals of the Senllc St:!te GoI~ntm!'nt :tnc.I its projec1 consultant had been doing. ~I e Slid: '''lllc.- Katsina-A1a Power Project is al the heart of the Suswam adnUnistrntion's qUC'Sl to sct !he .Slate on the path of mllSsive de\'t'iopment lhal ....-ould benc:litthe people. This project \\iII continue toenh;tna: the tc1.)OOmy of Bcnlle St~Ie and il.5 neighbJun long after the second leml ofGovemot Gnbriel Suswam. ''The ArD B has seen the ~k:vance (If Ihi~ project nnd how it wou kll'ldd ulue to !he cnt;Je communilY; hence it has thrt1>\n its 'vcight behind il. 1lJc stat~ go\'CJJ1Inc:nt is laking nil the: measures neces..wy to CllWre that Ihe project comes to fmition"'_he saicJ. T5Il1'S:ll' noted that the Benue people ~hnl lo 1'00e in (kr.~mor SUs\\'8)11 for a second term becau.<e they wert: cOlll'illC't'd Ihal tw: 11.'\5 the c:ommitmenl nnd ctlp:'ICity 10 deli'·er lhe !1..,Ie from the shxHe of pG\.trty occasioned by laek of electricity to power SlImll :Iud med ium iICl'Ile incJu~ in the rural m:tS whel't m3jority ofBenue flCOIl le would be employed mK! helped to eke 0111 decc:ntlil'i ng. He c:onuncndeQ the Benue Stale Go''Cntmenl f()f collabor;tting witll tlw: AIDS to actualise the: KilL\iM-Ala PtJo.I'C'f Projct't. Go\'C'mOf Sus\\'am ha.~ tite cap3Cily to
C ruciaJ Step Thnt p:t.~t ad ntinistrntions in Ikflue Stale h3d fOyed wilh rhe ide:! of building a power project nl the Katsilla·Aln Water-fall without any lIOIiceable means to actu3.lisc tlll'ir dreams orldcncores the [IOC. cess that the: Suswam administr.ttion h~ attained by stall ing tile project formally. TIle project. when completed. is e.' pected 10 boost Ihe re\'nIlte arKI ngncu ltur.I1 dri\'e of Senue State ;md oIher beltelicinT)' ~lnlt'S around it_ AgricullliJe ha.~ been identified 115 II m.ljor pivut t>f tile economic m;ut:lgcment team of President Goodluck Jonath.l n. Vent~ nt the st.1te 11:\'t'1 like: tlw: Katsi na-AI3 Waterfall JX1"''eI' project should be et'IC()\If3ged and supponecJ in all ways possible QUOTE. BentlC' hm; long been known as the food basket oflhe nat ion; tl te sooner tlw: ecooomy i., boosted through impfO\<ed agricultuml (J'aCtices nnd cnh:lI1ced pO'II'Cf ~tion. tile better for Country stit fighting 10 feed its 14() million Ilungry citilCllS. A good Step incJceo frum tlte troogh.~ of Rcnuc.