UYO
The Akwa Ibom government in partnership with the Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company (PHEDC) has drawn up strategies for adequate provision of energy in the state.
The commissioner for Power and Petroleum Development, Dr John Etim, disclosed this in a round-table meeting with the regional head of PHEDC at the ministry recently.
Etim stressed the need to collaborate with the company in areas peculiar to the need of the people, noting that partnership will help build a firm foundation for government to invest for the future.
He commended Governor Udom Emmanuel for the constant massive investment in energy infrastructure to drive the economy and ensuring adequate power supply .
The commissioner condemned energy theft and vandalism of transformers by hoodlums thereby causing power outage in the affected areas.
He called for support from PHEDC assuring that the governor is ready to assist a system where it’s citizenry get steady power.
He appealed to the company to take issues of energy theft and vandalism serious but not as an excuse for inefficiency.
On his part , the regional head of PHEDC, Akwa Ibom, MrOgbe Blessing, commended the state government’s investment in energy infrastructure both in generation and transmission aspects, recalling as trail blazer the establishment of Ibom Power Plant , building of injection Sub-Stations across the state as well as attainment of 90 per cent rural electrification.
Blessing, an engineer, said with government’s constant massive investment in energy infrastructure, ownership responsibility is vested on consumer who must guard and protect them.
The regional head, however, mentioned challenges confronted by the company to include; energy theft, vandalism, ownership mentality and payment channels which he said, has become major threat to the company’s seamless operations.
Speaking at the round-table meeting, the permanent secretary of the ministry, Dr Valerie Obot, lauded the PHEDC for improved power in some parts of the state, urging the company to extend same to all parts of the state in order to achieve Governor Emmanuel’s policy of “Power for All”.
Obot charged the company to redouble its effort to increase the socioeconomic development of the state by providing 24/7 steady power.
She made a case for regular round-table meeting with the service provider, the power ministry and relevant stakeholders in the power sector.
Discussion about this post