THE Delta State Government, on Wednesday, June 18, assured that has intensified efforts to resolve the longstanding electricity challenge in Ndokwa Nation.
Commissioner for Works (Rural Roads) and Public Information, Charles Aniagwu, while reacting to the recent ‘Light Up Ndokwa Nation’ protests at a press briefing in Asaba, assured residents that concrete steps were being taken to provide lasting power solutions to the problem, recalling that for a very long time, power generation and distribution had been an exclusive preserve of the federal government.
He stated: “For a very very long time transmission remained the exclusive preserve of the federal government, and that meant that even when you generate, you will need to upload the power you have generated into the national grid for onward distribution to the other parts of the country.
“But over time, there were some form of deregulation, started from the Dr. Goodluck Jonathan administration, which paved way for some private sector players to come in, and that made it possible for certain individuals in the private sector to invest in power generation and distribution.
“Only recently, certain form of liberalisation have taken place and to the extent now that states can go into some form of generation and distribution, but under certain conditions.
“The Okpai power project is not a state government project, we can only begin to make effort to see how we can begin to also benefit and that is ongoing.
“I am also aware the Deputy Governor, Sir Monday Onyeme, who is from the Ndokwa Nation, have been mandated by the governor to begin to look into how we can ensure that our brothers and sisters over there gets connected.”
He continued: “They have had several meetings with them and effort is being made to deal with the challenges between the then Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) before it moved to the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC), as to how to settle certain outstanding liabilities, so that they can begin a process of getting them reconnected to the grid.
“Because there was this absence of power and distribution channels along that corridor not being energized, it was possible for some criminals to tamper with the power infrastructure in that corridor, which means that it’s not just now a question of going to provide certain power or energy infrastructure for them to be effectively connected.”
Aniagwu stressed that Governor Sheriff Oborevwori administration has done quite a lot for the Ndokwa Nation and other parts of the state and urged patience while government addresses their concerns.
“In the last EXCO, you saw the approval of the Aboh-Akarai Road, which is a very challenging area, and there is also a bridge along that corridor.
“That particular project, at the end of the day, will cost not less than N29billion to be able to effectively connect our people in the Aboh-Akarai axis to their other brothers still in Ndokwa East.
“Oborevwori is the one who made the move to say that, yes, these people need to be connected and a government that is doing that has shown a whole lot of love for the people who live in that corridor.
“You are also aware of the number of roads we are carrying out in Ndokwa Nation, as well as the speedy completion of the Beneku Bridge, so that the people have now bid goodbye to the use of pontoon or certain kind of badge to convey vehicles and other items to the inner communities.
“So, we want to plead with our brothers and sisters in that corridor to see the many efforts of the Oborevwori administration towards making life much more livable for them and not to be misled by certain individuals who want to paint pictures that are completely at variance with reality.”
Aniagwu enthused that Oborevwori has done very well in the last two years, in terms of infrastructure, human capital development, enhanced business security and creation of a whole lot of platforms for individuals to realise their God-given potentials,
particularly as Delta is blessed with good talents and oil rich.
“In the next two years, the Oborevwori administration is committed to doing more, and that is why you saw that in our last Executive Council meeting, a number of mind-blowing projects were approved for the purpose of delivering more to our people.”
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