The word ‘dream’ is used here in the sense of “a wish to have something, especially one that seems difficult to achieve’; and not that of ‘events, or feelings that pass through a person’s mind when he is asleep’. Available records show that the well-known, US civil rights leader Martin Luther King (1929-68); used the words “I have a dream”, in a number of his speeches, including that which he delivered in Washington on 28th August, 1963; in which he said: “I have a dream, that one day, this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal”.
The Rufiji hydropower project (now known as the ‘Julius Nyerere Hydro Power Station), has been a lifelong ‘dream’, of many different people over different time periods. It is a huge dam that has been constructed across the Rufiji River in Eastern Tanzania. According to government sources, this power station is expected to have an installed capacity 2,115 megawatts. The project, which is claimed to be the largest power station in East Africa, the fourth largest concrete dam in Africa, and the ninth largest in the world; is owned and managed by the Tanzania Electric Supply Company (TANESCO), It reportedly 1200 square kilometres, with 34,000,000.00 cubic metres of water.
The genesis of the Rufiji River dam construction ‘dream’.
This ‘dream’, or grand idea, has been a lifelong dream of many different officials, at different times, and for different reasons. It actually commenced during the period when Tanganyika was ruled by the Germans. It was conceived in 1901, by a German Engineer named Stiegler, who led the first expedition to what became known as Stiegler’s Gorge, to consider its potential for the construction of such an infrastructure. Unfortunately, while he was measuring the Gorge, Engineer Stiegler was attacked and killed by an elephant near the ravine, in 1907, which led to this project being named after him, in his memory and honour. When subsequently the British took over the country’s Administration; they also developed plans for a dam to be constructed there. The records show that during that period of British rule, the first systematic development surveys of the Rufiji River were conducted in 1928 – 1929, by one Alexander Telford: with Engineer Gilman carrying out further surveys in 1938 – 1940.
These early studies primarily envisioned the setting up of an irrigation infrastructure with the construction there of a small dam, to reduce flooding and to protect downstream irrigation infrastructure. This chanded in the 1950s, when the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) started studying the Rufiji River infrastructure, to include a far larger dam wall of around 100 meters, aimed at transforming the Rufiji valley to an artificial environment, providing water for agriculture.
President Nyerere’s ‘dream’.
After he came to power as the country’s President in December 1962, President Nyerere seems to “have a dream” (precisely in the style of Martin Luther King), of using hydropower dams as the key deliverers of his ambitious modernization programme, and particularly his industrialization scheme, which was envisaged in the Second Five-Year Development Plan; and which, obviously, would need the availability of stable, and cheap electricity. That is what drove his government to invest in the Great Ruaha Hydropower project, which involved the construction of hydropower plants at Kidatu, and Mtera. The Ruaha is an upstream tributary of the Rufiji River.
This ‘dream’, or grand idea, has been a lifelong dream of many different officials, at different times, and for different reasons. It actually commenced during the period when Tanganyika was ruled by the Germans. It was conceived in 1901, by a German Engineer named Stiegler, who led the first expedition to what became known as Stiegler’s Gorge, to consider its potential for the construction of such an infrastructure. Unfortunately, while he was measuring the Gorge, Engineer Stiegler was attacked and killed by an elephant near the ravine, in 1907, which led to this project being named after him, in his memory and honour. When subsequently the British took over the country’s Administration; they also developed plans for a dam to be constructed there. The records show that during that period of British rule, the first systematic development surveys of the Rufiji River were conducted in 1928 – 1929, by one Alexander Telford: with Engineer Gilman carrying out further surveys in 1938 – 1940.
These early studies primarily envisioned the setting up of an irrigation infrastructure with the construction there of a small dam, to reduce flooding and to protect downstream irrigation infrastructure. This chanded in the 1950s, when the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) started studying the Rufiji River infrastructure, to include a far larger dam wall of around 100 meters, aimed at transforming the Rufiji valley to an artificial environment, providing water for agriculture.
President Nyerere’s ‘dream’.
After he came to power as the country’s President in December 1962, President Nyerere seems to “have a dream” (precisely in the style of Martin Luther King), of using hydropower dams as the key deliverers of his ambitious modernization programme, and particularly his industrialization scheme, which was envisaged in the Second Five-Year Development Plan; and which, obviously, would need the availability of stable, and cheap electricity. That is what drove his government to invest in the Great Ruaha Hydropower project, which involved the construction of hydropower plants at Kidatu, and Mtera. The Ruaha is an upstream tributary of the Rufiji River.
Thus, the government announcement that the Julius Nyerere Hydropower project (JNHPP) construction is nearing completion and has actually started injecting electricity into the national grid, is very good news; indeed, for it marks the successful realization of our country’s Founder and Father of the nation, Mwalimu Julius Kambarage Nyerere. It is, needless to say, a major, and very significant, “historic milestone”.
The word ‘milestone’ means ‘a very important stage, or event, in the development of something’. In the initial stages of our political development (during the struggle for independence); there occurred an event which also can justifiably be described as a “historic milestone”; which occurred during the month of March 1955, also concerning the same Mwalimu Julius Nyerere. The relevant event is with regard to the personal sacrifice which he made, of resigning from a lucrative teaching job at the then St. Francis College, Pugu; which was being operated by Irish Catholic missionaries known as Holy Ghost Fathers.
Mwalimu Nyerere had only just commenced his active engagement in politics, with his election to the Chairmanship of the Tanganyika African National Union (TANU), which was established on 7th July 1954. But his engagement in politics soon put him into trouble with the British colonial Authorities , who, apparently, were closely watching all his actions in that respect, which appeared to give much needed strength to the said struggle. They thus decided to put a stop to his support to TANU, which they considered to be dangerous to their interests. They therefore conspired with the Headmaster of St. Francis College, to ask Nyerere to make a choice, between either retaining his secure teaching job there, or resigning therefrom, to enable him to pursue his political activities.
The word ‘milestone’ means ‘a very important stage, or event, in the development of something’. In the initial stages of our political development (during the struggle for independence); there occurred an event which also can justifiably be described as a “historic milestone”; which occurred during the month of March 1955, also concerning the same Mwalimu Julius Nyerere. The relevant event is with regard to the personal sacrifice which he made, of resigning from a lucrative teaching job at the then St. Francis College, Pugu; which was being operated by Irish Catholic missionaries known as Holy Ghost Fathers.
Mwalimu Nyerere had only just commenced his active engagement in politics, with his election to the Chairmanship of the Tanganyika African National Union (TANU), which was established on 7th July 1954. But his engagement in politics soon put him into trouble with the British colonial Authorities , who, apparently, were closely watching all his actions in that respect, which appeared to give much needed strength to the said struggle. They thus decided to put a stop to his support to TANU, which they considered to be dangerous to their interests. They therefore conspired with the Headmaster of St. Francis College, to ask Nyerere to make a choice, between either retaining his secure teaching job there, or resigning therefrom, to enable him to pursue his political activities.
Here is the story of what actually happened, as told by Nyerere himself :- “On one Sunday morning, 21st March 1955, the headmaster, Fr. Lynch, called me to his office after the morning prayers , to give me what he describe as “fatherly advice” from his spiritual father. This is wat he said to me: ‘Julius we have noticed that you have recently been heavily engaged in politics by often travelling to Dar es Salaam to engage in political discussions with other politicians.
I want to caution you, that this is very dangerous for your teaching profession. You are of course aware of the Bible teaching that you cannot serve two masters. Hence, my sincere advice to you now, is that you should put yourself on the safe side. Just abandon your association with those dangerous political troublemakers, and concentrate on your teaching profession. This will be in your own personal interest, and that of your young family. So, go and think carefully about it, and let me know your decision as soon as possible”.
It was, indeed, a very difficult choice for him to make; but he boldly made it, by choosing the option of resigning from his lucrative teaching job. This is his extreme personal sacrifice that I referred to above. The mental agony which afflicted him in the process of making this difficult decision. is succinctly revealed in his resignation letter to the headmaster, dated 22nd March, 1955; which reads, in part, as follows:- “hen the option of resignation from TANU is given to me as a condition for retaining my job as a teacher, the matter becomes a matter of principle. In such circumstances, I have chosen to resign. I am fully aware of, and I feel very sad, about the economic consequences of my resignation, to me and my family. Nevertheless, as a matter of principle, I have consciously opted to resign”.
That, I would venture to say, resonates with the Biblical story of Abraham’s willingness and readiness to sacrifice his only son, in obedience to God’s command, for which God rewarded him with many more children. Mwalimu Nyerere was similarly willing and ready to sacrifice his lucrative job, in obedience to an abstract principle. And God seems to have amply rewarded him for this sacrifice, by enabling his efforts in the independence struggle to succeed, even earlier than had been generally anticipated; and using only non-violent, peaceful methods.
That, I would venture to say, resonates with the Biblical story of Abraham’s willingness and readiness to sacrifice his only son, in obedience to God’s command, for which God rewarded him with many more children. Mwalimu Nyerere was similarly willing and ready to sacrifice his lucrative job, in obedience to an abstract principle. And God seems to have amply rewarded him for this sacrifice, by enabling his efforts in the independence struggle to succeed, even earlier than had been generally anticipated; and using only non-violent, peaceful methods.
In my humble opinion, this personal sacrifice event should be taken into consideration as evidence in support of his canonization process, currently being undertaken by the Catholic church in Tanzania.
For the benefit of those who are not fully conversant with this purely Christian matter, I should explain that “canonization” is the name given to the lengthy process, which is normally undertaken by the Catholic church, which eventually terminates in a departed person being declared a “saint”; i.e. a person who lived a holy life during his time here on earth.
It should also be carefully noted, that the said Nyerere’s ‘sacrifice action’; helps to illustrate the high “cost of adhering to principles”. This is relevant here, because of the fact that Mwalimu Nyerere’s strict ‘adhere to principles’ after he came into power did indeed cost the country, in terms of losing the financial aid which had been promised, for supporting certain specified social and economic development projects.
For the benefit of those who are not fully conversant with this purely Christian matter, I should explain that “canonization” is the name given to the lengthy process, which is normally undertaken by the Catholic church, which eventually terminates in a departed person being declared a “saint”; i.e. a person who lived a holy life during his time here on earth.
It should also be carefully noted, that the said Nyerere’s ‘sacrifice action’; helps to illustrate the high “cost of adhering to principles”. This is relevant here, because of the fact that Mwalimu Nyerere’s strict ‘adhere to principles’ after he came into power did indeed cost the country, in terms of losing the financial aid which had been promised, for supporting certain specified social and economic development projects.
Nyerere’s dream ‘comes true’
It is the late President John Pombe Magufuli, of the fifth phase government of the United Republic, whose determination to honour the late President Nyerere, by making a firm commitment, to have all of Nyrere’s mega infrastructure projects completed; which has made it possible for the Rufiji Hydropower project to be completed, plus the other mega project of moving the seat of government from Dar es Salaam to Dodoma; when his commitment was taken over after his sudden death in office, by his very able and equally sincerely committed successor, President Samia Suluhu Hssan.
When Dr. Magufuli entered the stage in 2015 after winning the Presidential election of that year, the said ‘dream’ had practically been forgotten; for it had ceased appearing in the government Five Year Development Plans, due to the government’s low financial status, which made that project appear to be an absolutely unachievable objective.
It is the late President John Pombe Magufuli, of the fifth phase government of the United Republic, whose determination to honour the late President Nyerere, by making a firm commitment, to have all of Nyrere’s mega infrastructure projects completed; which has made it possible for the Rufiji Hydropower project to be completed, plus the other mega project of moving the seat of government from Dar es Salaam to Dodoma; when his commitment was taken over after his sudden death in office, by his very able and equally sincerely committed successor, President Samia Suluhu Hssan.
When Dr. Magufuli entered the stage in 2015 after winning the Presidential election of that year, the said ‘dream’ had practically been forgotten; for it had ceased appearing in the government Five Year Development Plans, due to the government’s low financial status, which made that project appear to be an absolutely unachievable objective.
But then entered President John Magufuli, apparently having imbibed, and been invigorated, by his predecessor President Jakaya Kikwete’s slogan of “Nguvu mpya, Ari mpya, na kasi mpya”; he quickly embarked on introducing legislation to revamp the rich mineral sector; which soon resulted in vastly increased government revenues.
On Monday, 3rd July, 2017, the Parliament of the United Republic enacted two “natural resources protection” laws These were: (i) “The Natual Wealth and Resources Contracts (Review and Re-negotiation of unconscionable Terms) Act, 2017”; and (ii) “The Natural Wealth and Resources (permanent Sovereignty) Act, 2017. These two were supplemented by a third law, cited as “The Written Laws (Miscellaneous Amendments) Act, 2017; which made amendments to six other laws, whose overall objective was to strengthen the supervision and control of the mining sector, and its allied sectors of oil and natural gas; and also aimed at improving government revenue collections from those sectors.
President Magufuli had earlier appointed two specialist committees, which were entrusted with the responsibility to investigate what he suspected to be “massive thievery” and deception, perpetrated by specified mining firms, as a result of faulty mining contracts, and inappropriate applicable laws. This is the essence of what I described above as President Magufuli’s imbibing President Jakaya Kikwete’s slogan of “Nguvu mpya, Ari mpya, na Kasi mpya”; plus the ‘intoxicating’ invigoration resulting therefrom.
Upon President Magufuli’s sudden death, his successor in office, President Samia Suluhu Hassan, made her own innovation by producing the “Royal Tour” documentary, which also resulted in massive increases in government revenue collections, through increased numbers of tourist arrivals.
Thus, what had previously been deemed impossible to achieve because of financial constraints, now became possible under the mentioned innovative new revenue collection measures, introduced by Presidents John Pombe Magufuli, and Samia Sulhu Hassan.
piomsekwa@gmail.com /0754767576.
On Monday, 3rd July, 2017, the Parliament of the United Republic enacted two “natural resources protection” laws These were: (i) “The Natual Wealth and Resources Contracts (Review and Re-negotiation of unconscionable Terms) Act, 2017”; and (ii) “The Natural Wealth and Resources (permanent Sovereignty) Act, 2017. These two were supplemented by a third law, cited as “The Written Laws (Miscellaneous Amendments) Act, 2017; which made amendments to six other laws, whose overall objective was to strengthen the supervision and control of the mining sector, and its allied sectors of oil and natural gas; and also aimed at improving government revenue collections from those sectors.
President Magufuli had earlier appointed two specialist committees, which were entrusted with the responsibility to investigate what he suspected to be “massive thievery” and deception, perpetrated by specified mining firms, as a result of faulty mining contracts, and inappropriate applicable laws. This is the essence of what I described above as President Magufuli’s imbibing President Jakaya Kikwete’s slogan of “Nguvu mpya, Ari mpya, na Kasi mpya”; plus the ‘intoxicating’ invigoration resulting therefrom.
Upon President Magufuli’s sudden death, his successor in office, President Samia Suluhu Hassan, made her own innovation by producing the “Royal Tour” documentary, which also resulted in massive increases in government revenue collections, through increased numbers of tourist arrivals.
Thus, what had previously been deemed impossible to achieve because of financial constraints, now became possible under the mentioned innovative new revenue collection measures, introduced by Presidents John Pombe Magufuli, and Samia Sulhu Hassan.
piomsekwa@gmail.com /0754767576.
Source: Cde Pius Msekwa and Daily News today.
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