Governor Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom State has declared a state of emergency in the power sector, stressing the need for consistent electricity supply to drive economic growth under his administration’s ARISE Agenda.
Speaking on the second day of the ongoing EXCO Ministerial briefing/end of year review taking place at the Banquet Hall, Government House Uyo, the Governor highlighted the strategic role of electricity in achieving the state’s development goals.
Regular power supply, according to Eno, was critical to the success of all major projects especially the Aviation ecosystem, Seaport and medical corridor his administration is embarking on.
He announced plans to convene a Power Summit between January and March 2025 to review the sector’s challenges and propose solutions, including the establishment of a Power Infrastructure Committee.
Also, the governor expressed frustration over the state’s N40 billion debt to Acugas, the gas supplier for the Ibom Power Plant.
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He criticised the approach taken by the plant’s former Managing Director, Engr Meyen Etukudo, who was sacked for publicly blaming the gas company for power outages.
“We are owing the gas company N40 billion, which is 7.9 million dollars and the MD came out to make a press statement that they have cut off power.
“Assuming we have youths that are irrational, that company would have been burnt down by now. You are owing somebody and still shouting; the right thing to do would have been to beg.
“I have an idea of what is going on at Ibom Power. I believe that together we can come out of this. I believe that Akwa Ibom can generate power 24/7, and this is the mandate of the Commissioner of Power,” he stated.
The governor revealed that the sacked MD had left operations in the hands of a contractor during his leave, a decision Eno found unacceptable.
“The greatest pain of this was an MD going on leave and handing over everything to a contractor and even putting it in writing for him to be in charge of the plant. I don’t know where that is done.
“It’s just like handing over your vehicle to a mechanic and saying If it has a problem let me know, definitely that vehicle must develop a problem because the mechanic must eat.
“But as I said, the issue is that we are going to set up a power infrastructure committee to work with the commissioner and other power stakeholders to hold a power summit and tell us the way forward and this must happen between January and March. It is an emergency,” Eno said.
Highlighting that his vision is to deliver 24-hour power supply and use that to ignite the state’s economy, Eno applauded the Commissioner for Power, Engr Camillus Umoh, for engendering a paradigm shift in the workings of the Ibom Power Company and expressed hope that the state would strive to achieve its goals in the sector.
In their separate remarks, key stakeholders, including Chief Nduese Essien, Chief Sunny Udom, Rt. Hon Peter Linus Umoh, and HRM Odidem Bassey Etim Edet, commended the Governor for organising an unprecedented stakeholders’ briefing.
They also praised his commitment to transparency and accountability in governance.
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