The federal government has made budgetary preparations to pay compensation for affected persons along the North Core Transmission project’s right of way linking Nigeria to Niger Republic, Benin, Togo and Burkina Faso.
The Minister of Power, Engr. Abubakar D Aliyu stated this when he received the World Bank Country Director, Nigeria Western and Central Africa Region, Shubham Chaudhuri.
He assured the funding partners of North Core/Dorsale Nord Regional Interconnector Project consisting of Nigeria-Niger-Benin-Togo-Burkina Faso of Nigeria’s commitment to the actualization of the project.
During the joint midterm review mission of the project, the minister, according to a statement from the ministry on Thursday, said on compensation of communities who the project will affect, there is adequate budgetary provision to cater for them particularly in the 2022 budget.
Aliyu said as soon as all required processes are put in place the compensation would commence, directing contractors to move to the site where there are no encumbrances.
He assured them that adequate security measures are being put in place by all West Africa Power Pool Countries (WAPP) for the project implementation. The over 700 kilometre transmission line of 330 kilovolts (kv) could boost energy export from Nigeria.
Chaudhuri said the meeting was to discuss the results achieved and constraint to the implementation of the remaining project activities, compensation payments towards ensuring the project is delivered by November 2024.
Meanwhile, the minister has also said President Muhammadu Buhari is laying a solid foundation for energy infrastructure. He stated this when he received the coordinator of the US Government’s Power Africa Programme, Mr. Mark Carrato and his team.
He told the team that Nigeria seeks to raise renewable energy contribution to the grid to 30% by 2030 while hoping to cut fossil energy to zero by 2060.
Mr Carrato said the five-year USAID Power Africa Nigeria Sector Programme (PA-NPSP) is a pointer to their commitment to increase electricity availability, access and reliability.
