The Federal Government has said the funding for early works of resettlement and surveys is ongoing for the $5.72 billion (about N2 trillion) Mambilla hydropower project in Taraba State expected to generate 3050 megawatts (MW).

There have been legal crisis by acclaimed local partner, Sunrise Power and Transmission Company, that could derail the kickoff of the project in 2019.

However, the minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola, on Saturday night in a televised response to the crisis said the President Muhammadu Buhari administration does not want middlemen or ’10 percenters’ for the project, describing Sunrise’ claims as baseless.

Giving a ray of hope, he said: “We had provision for our counterpart funding in the 2018 budget and we have also done so in the 2019 budget. Our contribution to even start the early works, planning the surveys, resettlement is going on.”

“The president has approved that part of that money should come from the Infrastructure Development Fund funded by the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA),” the minister stated.

Source: Daily Trust