Akpabio Seeks Deregulation of Power Sector (Posted: January 20, 2010)

Governor Godswill Akpabio has advocated the deregulation of the power sector, noting that such will boost investment in the country.

Speaking with a media team at Government House in Uyo on Monday, Governor Akpabio noted that the Ibom Power Plant which has been completed has been granted license to generate power, while the distribution and transmission right rests solely with the Federal Government through its agency, the Power Holding Company Nigeria, (PHCN), a development he observed was not encouraging investment.

The Governor called on the ministry of Power to come to the aid of the State which is generating power though the IPP, at Ikot Abasi by granting her license to form a cluster with few other states in the region for power distribution. He said the State Independent Power facility which was recently switched on, has the capacity to supply steady power to two other States within the region.

"I will like to urge the Ministry of Power to do everything possible to assist us so that we can evacuate the power from Ikot Abasi and in less than one year from today the masses that benefit from it. Of course this power is going straight into the National. So there is need for us to conclude the issue of signing the power sharing agreement and power purchase agreement, which is very important so that we can encourage investment in that sector," he said.

The State Chief Executive urged the Federal Government to use Akwa Ibom as a nucleus of its National integrated Power project by assisting her to evacuate the power which it has already produced into the National grid. He pleaded with the Federal Government to revisit its National Integrated Power project of which Akwa Ibom was a beneficiary by ensuring the completion of the project initiated during the tenure of former President Obasanjo.

Akpabio said the State needed a mega transmission line between Ikot Abasi and Ikot Ekpene to enable it evacuate power from the power plant to that axis, while another transmission line between Eket and Uyo would be needed to convey steady electricity from the facility to Uyo and environs. He announced that so far, the State Government has committed over N15 Billion Naira to Rural Electrification projects as a bold step by the Government to link all villages to the National grid.

He said that over 400 villages have so far been connected to the national grid, adding that more villages without electricity will be linked to the grid by 2011.

Chief Akpabio lauded the visiting team which comprised, Mr. Mohammed Labo, State House Correspondent, Mr Hamza Musa Makarfi from the NTA Headquarters, Abuja and Kasim Yahaya of the 7 points Agenda team, for the visit to the State and urged Journalists to always visit the State to appraise the achievements of the Present administration.

The team which earlier undertook a tour of project sites in the State, lauded the Governor for the massive transformation he has brought to bare in the State within two years under the saddle, noting that these where in line with the 7 points agenda of President Umaru Musa Yar’adua.

The media team had earlier been taken around the entire state by the State Commissioner for Information Mr. Aniekan Umanah and the Commissioner for Housing Mr. Emmanuel Enoidem to visit projects executed by Governor Akpabio in two and a half years.

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