The Zungeru Hydropower Plant, on Monday, vehemently denied reports of an explosion at the facility. In a series of statements issued on Monday, officials from the plant and the Niger State Police condemned the reports as “fake news” and “a wicked lie.”
Siraj Abdullahi, Executive Director of the Zungeru Hydropower Plant, issued a terse statement to address the rumors directly.
He stated that “This is a wicked lie. We are fine in Zungeru nothing happened and we are on the Grid.”
Mainstream Energy Solutions Limited, the parent company of the plant, also released a formal press release echoing these sentiments. They condemned the reports as “highly irresponsible and insensitive” and highlighted the potential negative impact on investors, partners, and staff.
The statement further reassured the public that the plant was operational and recently completed a successful 15-day test run that boosted power supply to the national grid.
“The fake news concerning an explosion at the Zungeru Hydropower Plant with resulting casualties published in newspapers on July 1, 2024, and circulated on social media has been brought to our attention.
“We wish to express our strong objection to this false and mischievous report categorically stating that no such incident occurred. This report is not only false but also highly irresponsible and insensitive, given the pervasive nature of insecurity issues in Nigeria.
“The implications of such a misleading report are severe and far-reaching creating unnecessary panic among our investors, partners, staff, and their families. This can potentially destabilize the confidence and trust that we have painstakingly built over the years.
“The Board and Management of the Zungeru Hydro Power Plant seeks to reassure the public that the Zungeru Hydropower Plant is intact and continues to power Nigerian homes and businesses after successfully concluding a 15-day test run which remarkably boosted power supply tothe grid,” the statement reads.
The Niger State Police Command also joined in debunking the rumors. Police Public Relations Officer in the state, SP Wasiu Abiodun issued a statement urging the public to disregard the reports and emphasized that no such incident occurred at the Zungeru Dam.
“We wish to respond that there is no report of any kind of explosion at Zungeru Dam, as reported by some online media, we urge members of the public to kindly disregard please. Thanks for your usual cooperation and understanding with the Police and other security,” Abiodun noted.
The origin of the false reports remains unclear. Several media outlets, including Thisday, Vanguard, and Arise TV, were mentioned by Abdullahi as having carried the story.
“There is a fake news on several media houses. Including Thisday, Vanguard, Arise TV and some more about an explosion in Zungeru. This is a wicked lie. We are fine in Zungeru nothing happened and we are on the Grid. Please disregard this hate news,” Abdullahi explained.
Join the conversation
Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism
Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.
As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.
If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.
Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.