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Mambila Hydroelectric Power Project: This is one major project Tinubu must adequately address-Senator Manu(Video)
Mambila Hydroelectric Power Project: This is one major project Tinubu must adequately address-Senator Manu(Video)
…says the multiplier effect can change Nigeria
The Senator representing Taraba Central Senatorial District, Haruna Manu has said the Mambila Hydroelectric Power Project is one major project President Bola Ahmed Tinubu must adequately address as its multiplier effect could make Nigerians smile.
Manu made this disclosure while addressing the Senate Press Corps after presenting his motion on the power project last Thursday.
Responding to a question on his motion bordering on power supply, Senator Manu said: “There wouldn’t be any meaningful development without power, there is none. There is nothing if we want to develop as a country, there is nothing as important as power.
“Even the road infrastructures we are talking about, they are not as important as power because if you have a steady power, you will have the road infrastructure.
“So it is very, very important and that is why almost all the various speakers when they contributed they talked about the importance of this project.
“But some of them have talked about the legal issue that is there in the project but we have heard what the chairman of the senate committee on finance said that the legal issue has been resolved.
“And I believe that since President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, he has actually given his committement at the COP28 in Dubai and I am sure he will take this project very seriously and I believe this administration will take this project unlike what happened previously.
“This project it will be actualized during the lifespan of this administration and that is what we want and this project is not just for Taraba state, it is not just for the North East, it is for the entire country.
“You could imagine what will happen injecting 3,050 megawatts into the national grid. Currently the whole consumption of my state is not more than 15 megawatts.
“I remembered when I was the deputy governor, we were having less than 10 megawatts, my boss had an engagement with NEPA being the former minister of power for us in Taraba state to have up to 15 megawatts of electricity, the whole state the consumption is just 15 megawatts.
“So you can imagine injecting 3,050 megawatts into the national grid. Currently what do we have? Around 4,000 megawatts but it is fluctuating, it is not up to that 4,000 megawatts, sometimes we have as low as less than 2,000. So you can imagine what 3,050 megawatts to the country.
“And the most interesting thing about this project is, the entire cost of the project is five billion, seven hundred and ninety-two million dollars, Nigeria is contributing 15%.
“We have consortium of Chinese companies that are contributing 85% of the entire project cost.
And you have heard what former speaker House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, former governor of Sokoto said, one of the contractors that want to do the Mambilla, they have constructed the largest dam in the world by constructing more than 22,000 megawatts in China and it is the largest in the world.
“So they have the experience, it is just for us in Nigeria to get serious with our own 15% counterpart funding.
Not only that, if you heard what I said in the motion, you can see the multiplier effect of that, the local content of it, the entire 15% is even for the local content.
” What that means is our local contractors will be part and parcel of this project.
Ashaka Cement, Depan Motors, Innoson Motors, all of them they will be part of this project and it will create jobs, more than 55,000 jobs will be created through this project.
“The lifespan of the project is 72 months, so you can imagine what will happen when you are creating 55,000 jobs because of the Mambilla Hydro project.
President Bola Tinubu has assented to the 2026 Appropriation Bill, which provides for an aggregate expenditure of ₦68.32 trillion.
He also signed the bill extending the implementation period for the 2025 budget from March 31, 2026, to June 30, 2026.
This was announced on Friday in a statement by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.
The ₦68.32 trillion budget for this year earmarks ₦4.799 trillion for statutory transfers and ₦15.8 trillion for debt service.
It allocates ₦15.4 trillion to recurrent expenditure and ₦32.2 trillion to the Development Fund for Capital Expenditure.
“With capital expenditure accounting for about 50 per cent, the 2026 budget underscores the administration’s continued commitment to economic stability, national security, infrastructure development, and inclusive growth.
The allocations reflect a strategic balance between statutory obligations, debt servicing, recurrent expenditure, and capital investments critical to driving productivity and improving the quality of life for Nigerians,” the statement read in part.
The President also has assented to the Appropriation (Repeal and Enactment) (Amendment) Bill, 2026, which extends the implementation period of the capital component of the 2025 Appropriation Act from March 31, 2026, to June 30, 2026.
The extension, the statement revealed, would ensure the full and effective utilisation of appropriated funds, particularly for critical infrastructure and development projects that are at advanced stages of implementation across the country.
It will enable ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) to consolidate ongoing works, enhance project completion rates, and maximise value for public expenditure. With the 2026 Appropriation Act coming into force on April 1, the Federal Government will commence full implementation in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda,” it added.
Additionally, President Tinubu directed MDAs to ensure disciplined, transparent, and efficient utilisation of allocated resources, with a strong emphasis on value for money and timely project delivery.
He commended the National Assembly for its diligence, cooperation, and patriotism in expeditiously considering and passing the budget.
The President reaffirmed the importance of sustained collaboration between the executive and legislative arms of government in advancing national development objectives.
Tinubu also assured Nigerians of his administration’s resolve to deepen fiscal reforms, enhance revenue generation, and prioritise investments that will stimulate economic growth, create jobs, and strengthen social protection mechanisms.
The budget is also expected to be partly financed through external borrowing, following the approval of a foreign loan plan exceeding $21 billion to bridge the fiscal gap.
₦9.85trn Increase
The 2026 budget represents an increase of ₦9.85 trillion over the initial proposal of ₦58.47 trillion that Tinubu submitted to the National Assembly, and ₦13.33 trillion higher than the 2025 budget.
The President had while presenting the 2025 budget proposal before federal lawmakers in December 2025, pegged the capital expenditure at ₦26.08 trillion and the crude oil benchmark at US$64.85 per barrel.
He disclosed that the expected total revenue was ₦34.33 trillion; ₦15.52 trillion for debt servicing.
The proposal was anchored on a crude oil production of 1.84 million barrels per day, and an exchange rate of ₦1,400 to the US Dollar for the 2026 fiscal year.
Amid the growing concerns over insecurity across the country, Tinubu said his administration would “invest in security with clear accountability for outcomes—because security spending must deliver security results”.
“We will take decisive steps to strengthen agricultural markets. Food security is national security.
“The 2026 budget prioritises input financing and mechanisation; irrigation and climate‑resilient agriculture; storage and processing; and agro‑value chains,” he told the National Assembly members.
Nigeria’s budgets in recent years have come under fire with experts critcising the poor implementation and release of funds for the execution of important national projects.
But the Tinubu administration said that the 2026 national budget was well-planned to solidify the gains of its reform agenda.
“Our ‘Budget of Consolidation, Renewed Resilience and Shared Prosperity’ is critical. It is a commitment to double down on what is working, to solidify gains, and to ensure that the shared prosperity we speak of becomes a lived reality for more Nigerians, faster,” Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, said in a statement.
Popular sports broadcast journalist with Classic FM 97.3, Temisan Okomi, has died.
A journalist with News Central, Olawale Adigun, confirmed his death in a statement shared on X on Friday.
He wrote on X, “The worst way to go into the weekend is hearing about Temisan Okomi’s passing. I’m so gutted and, at the same time, terrified. This man meant so much to me.”
Recall that news of his death has since stirred reactions on X, with colleagues and fans expressing shock and grief.
The late journalist had worked with Lagos Television, HiTV, and other prominent media organizations in Nigeria.
His last post on X was on April 14, 2026, when he wrote, “The Champions League is hard, man.”
Ibrahim Abdulkarim, a political associate of ex-governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi, has claimed that the former governor of Kano State, Rabiu Kwankwaso, has agreed to deputize the Obi in the 2027 presidential race.
He spoke during an interview on Trust TV, said the Obidients and the Kwankwassiyya Movements are already aligning towards Obi/Kwankwaso ticket.
Asked if Obi and Kwankwaso had struck a deal, Abdulkarim said “yes, I can categorically tell you that they have agreed”.
We all know that. Both the Obidients and the Kwankwassiyya Movements are aware of the agreement”.
Recall that Kwankwaso recently decamped from the New Nigerian Peoples Party, NNPP to the African Democratic Congress, ADC.
His move stirred suspicion that the two political gladiators may have agreed to run for the 2027 presidency on a single ticket.
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