The House of Representatives’ Ad hoc Committee investigating Nigeria’s power sector reforms and expenditure from 2007 to 2024 has summoned the Minister of Water Resources, top officials of key water management agencies, and signatories to the 2005 concession agreement for the 40MW Dadin-Kowa Hydropower Project.
The summon was issued on Wednesday by Committee Chairman Arch. Ibrahim Almustapha Aliyu.
It was sequel to a presentation by Mabon Generating Company, the concessionaire of the Dadin-Kowa plant, which highlighted prolonged delays, procedural inconsistencies, and operational gaps that lawmakers described as unacceptable.
Aliyu directed that the Minister, alongside the Managing Directors of the Upper Benue River Basin Development Authority and Hadejia–Jama’are River Basin Development Authority, the Chief Executive of the Nigeria Integrated Water Resources Management Commission, officials of the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC), and signatories to both the original concession and subsequent addendum, appear before the committee on 4 December 2025.
He explained that about 20 years into the 25-year Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) agreement, the project has been plagued by delays, bureaucratic bottlenecks, and unclear allocation of responsibilities among government agencies.
According to him, while Mabon Generating Company had initially inspected and confirmed the facility’s readiness for 40MW generation, the company later cited challenges that necessitated an addendum to the original concession terms.
“From 2005 to now, 20 years have passed. The agreement was signed after confirming the plant was fit, yet midway, challenges emerged. This raises questions about the due diligence of both the company and supervising authorities,” Aliyu said.
The chairman said the matter had grown “multifaceted,” raising serious concerns about whether government officials fulfilled their obligations and whether taxpayer interests were adequately safeguarded over the long term.
The committee also requested submission of the appraisal committee’s report that reviewed the initial concession and recommended the addendum, along with all documents related to performance evaluations, generation output, gaps, and payment records.
“When you appear, bring the appraisal committee report that led to the addendum,” Aliyu directed.
During the hearing, Mabon Generating Company disclosed that it has contributed over 700 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity to the national grid since 2021 and has not received any grants or direct loans from the Federal Government since the project began in 2005.
Umar Shehu Hashidu, the company’s Chief Operating Officer presenting on behalf of the Managing Director/CEO, affirmed Mabon’s commitment to cooperating fully with the House committee, stressing the project’s importance to national development.
He also confirmed that the company had submitted all requested documents, including the 2005 concession agreement, the 2015 addendum, and regulatory approvals.
The Dadin-Kowa hydropower project operates under a BOT model, granting Mabon the right to develop and operate the facility before transferring it back to the Federal Government.