The federal government through the Ministry of Power, in collaboration with the Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation, has handed over the 6-Megawatt Ikere George Hydropower Plant in Oyo State to a concessionaire, Quaint Power and Infrastructure Nigeria Limited.
The government said the concession of the hydropower plant would generate over 25,000 direct and indirect jobs as well as boost the power supply in Oyo and neighbouring states, reports The Nation.
The official handover ceremony took place yesterday at Ikere Community in Iseyin Local Government Area of Oyo State, under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model.
The Ikere Gorge Dam was conceived under Nigeria’s first elected president, Shehu Shagari, in the 1980s, as a multi-purpose project to aid power generation, water supply, irrigation and fishing.
Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, congratulated the people of Southwest particularly the Oke-Ogun communities, on what he described as a major breakthrough in power generation.
He said the development is in line with the policies of President Bola Tinubu led administration to revitalize the energy sector as well creating employment opportunities for the teeming youths in the country.
Adelabu, who was joined at the occasion by the Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Professor Joseph Terlumun Utsev, said the project would stimulate electricity market development as well enhancing the economic growth of the host community.
The minister added that Ikere George dam project is a pointer to the resolve and the commitment of the Federal government to advance the energy sector of the economy.
Adelabu commended Quaint Power and Infrastructure Nigeria Limited for its courage and confidence in Nigeria’s power sector, noting that the Ikere Hydropower Plant is a strategic intervention that highlighted the federal government’s commitment to revitalising energy assets and stimulating electricity market development.
He added that the project would accelerate socio-economic growth in the host community and beyond.
Utsev said construction of dams across the country remains a key mandate of his ministry, aimed at boosting economic development.
He emphasised the importance of public-private partnerships in complementing government efforts in infrastructure delivery, noting that the success recorded at the Ikere Hydropower Plant is a product of collaboration between the two ministries to strengthen Nigeria’s hydropower infrastructure.
He listed other power projects executed under the administration of President Bola Tinubu to include a 4-Megawatt Hydropower Plant in Kogi State, and a 40-megawatt (MW) Kashimbila Multipurpose Dam in Taraba State, among others.
He noted that the success recorded at the Ikere George hydropower plant is a product of collaboration between the two ministries to strengthen the Nigeria’s hydropower infrastructure, urging the concessionaire to ensure efficient utilization of the Ikere facility.
The Ikere Gorge project was executed under the regulatory guidance of the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission, the federal agency statutorily responsible for regulating all public-private partnerships. The ICRC is empowered to monitor compliance with the concession agreements throughout the life of the project.
