Land dispute stalls completion of power project in Kaduna

The Managing Director of Transmission Company of Nigeria, (TCN) Engineer Sule Abdulazeez has said that local landowners are stalling the completion of the Kudanda 215KVA power project in Kaduna State.

The Kudandan installation when completed will be linked with the 33KVA Mando power station which serves Kaduna, Kebbi, Sokoto, and Zamfara states in the Northwest. 

The Managing Director who was in Kaduna on inspection of Kudenda power lines said the project is being stalled because the landowners complained that compensation offered to them is too meager.

One of the affected landowners in Kudandan community, Martins John said about  200  houses are affected in the community by the project and the compensations offered to them by the government are too small.

According to Martins, “We actually come with regards to energy cables that pass through our community, which started sometimes back I think 6 years ago; the case is now in the court because they said they will pay people with landed properties only. Houses of people with structures were poorly offered as low as N80,000 and N90,000 and we don’t want that.”

In an interview with a journalist, Engineer Abdulazeez the TCN boss said the Transmission company in its rules and regulations only compensating properties and crops, maintaining that “all lands belong to the government.”

The MD said the Kudanda project which is at 80 percent completion will boost the supply of energy in the northwest region. 

According to the MD, “We are here at Kudanda power station. This power is generating 215 MW and we are to evacuate the power to Mando station 330kv substation in Kaduna. 

“So what we are doing now is that we are building a 330KVA transmission lines from kukanda to Mando and in addition to that also, we have the Gurara station that is generating 30 megawatts.  That project is been completed long time ago and the Minister of power resources is writing to the Minister of power to make sure that we finish this one here.

“One of the reason why we have not completed this here is because we have issues. The honorable minister directed me to come here to talk to the contractor and find a solution to the problems we have with land owners.

“Secondly our 330 line in Mando, there is a land there that they are asking for compensation which according to TCN rules and regulations, we only pay for crops and properties,  we don’t pay for land. because the land belongs to government. 

“We are also talking to Kaduna state government to find a way if resolving that issue. this are the things that are holding that project. The project is 80 per cent completed and contractor assured us that they are going to finish it before the end of this year.”