Zungeru Dam: FG to provide security cover for speedy completion

Governor Abubakar Sani Bello of Niger State has said the federal government has designed a security architecture around the Zungeru Hydro Power Dam under construction to ensure the speedy completion of the project in the next three months.

The governor stated this Tuesday when he received the Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, H.E. Chui Jianchun, on a courtesy call in Government House, Minna.

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Bello said a multilevel security backup had been arranged to ensure the safety of the Chinese expatriates working on the dam and to also safeguard the facilities.

He added that in spite of the overwhelming security challenges in the state, the federal government was putting up security measures to ensure the successful completion of the facility which he said was at 95 percent level of completion.

While appreciating the Chinese envoy for the visit, Bello frowned at the activities of some illegal Chinese miners in the state, stressing that the government was willing to partner with legally recognised mining companies in the business but would not hesitate to clamp down on illegal miners.

Earlier, the China Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Chui Jianchun, said he was in the state to inspect the level of work at the Zungeru Hydro Power Dam.

Mr. Jianchun, who expressed satisfaction with the level and quality of work at the Hydro Power Dam, however regretted that insecurity had become a setback to the timely completion of the project.

He disclosed that the Chinese government had lost about $20 million  due to the delay in the completion of the facility, assuring that with the expected security support at the site, work would be completed in the next three months.