The House of Representatives ad hoc Committee on Power Sector Reforms has lauded the operation and output of the 40 megawatts Dadinkowa Hydropower Plant in Gombe State being managed by Mabon Ltd., an indigenous company.
Chairman of the committee, Rep. Ibrahim Aliyu (ADC-Sokoto), expressed the committee’s satisfaction in Gombe during an oversight visit to the facility.
The oversight was part of the House of Representatives’ nationwide assessment of the Federal Government’s Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) power plant concession policy.
Addressing newsmen on the sidelines of the oversight visit, Aliyu said that in spite of the current water level challenges, electricity production at the plant stood at 17 MW.
“This is our first physical assessment of the plant. We invited Mabon Ltd. earlier in November (2025) and they made submissions; we were able to engage them on their submissions and we took it upon ourselves to come here to compare notes.
“I must say we should thank God that this country is blessed with natural resources; if we can utilise them optimally, we will get to where we should be as a country.
“On what we have seen here so far, we have seen standards; we have seen that with the water level challenges, Mabon Ltd. has maintained production.
“The current production today is about 17 MW; they are doing well as much as what we have seen and we can attest to that.
“This is one of the most successful partnerships we have seen so far; most of what we have seen here were constructed by Mabon Ltd., with the exception of the dam.
“The transmission and evacuation lines, the wheeling capacity of 4km to connect with the national grid and so on are very encouraging,” he said.
The chairman said that the committee would engage the management of the company on the loopholes observed in the concession agreement.
He said that the aim of the oversight was to enable the committee reach a conclusive decision that would advance Nigeria’s power sector.
Earlier in his presentation, the Chief Operating Officer of the plant, Mr Umar Hashidu, expressed the company’s commitment to affordable energy solution via harnessing the power of renewable energy, while ensuring environmental stewardship.
Hashidu said that the aim was to drive industrial growth in the Gombe industrial park as well as accelerate social development for the people of the area and Nigeria at large.
“Our mission is to provide safe, reliable and sustainable energy to our customers, leveraging our expertise in transmission and energy generation.
“We have a diverse team that promotes excellence and sustainability,” he said.
Hashidu said that the company, with over 40 years of operational history in Nigeria, diversified into renewable energy and secured the BOT concession for the 40mw Dadinkowa Hydropower Plant in the state in 2000s.
He said that the project journey was complex, spanning multiple regulatory and policy changes before achieving commercial operation in 2021.
“To enable timely completion and grid integration, Mabon undertook additional scope beyond the original concession.
“This included financing and constructing a 3.5 km 132kv double-circuit transmission line linking the plant to the Gombe–Biu line as well as developing access infrastructure to the dam and power facility.
“Commercial operation was achieved following the execution of a Power Purchase Agreement with Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Plc. (NBET) and the grant of a water use licence. Since then, the Dadinkowa plant has supplied consistent power to the national grid.
“To date, the plant has generated over 700 million kilowatt-hours of clean energy. Its output has supported voltage stability in the North-East and contributed to regional economic activity.
“The Muhammadu Buhari Industrial Park in Gombe State, located near the plant, is expected to benefit from this stable power supply.
“Notably, the project was delivered without grants, intervention funds or Federal Government loans.
“It was fully financed through private capital and credit facilities, covering design, construction, operations and maintenance, while meeting all regulatory and environmental requirements,” he said.
Hashidu said that the plant demonstrated operational resilience during grid disturbances and transmission faults affecting the North-East, as the plant operated in island mode, supplying power directly to Gombe and Biu.
He said that the capability had strengthened local supply reliability and underscored the plant’s strategic importance to general power supply.
According to him, the company remains focused on reliable operations, technical performance and long-term value creation in Nigeria’s energy sector.
