Akwa Ibom state government say it has obtained a licence to increase the generation capacity of its power plant from 112MGW to 640MGW, Governor Udom Emmanuel has announced.
It has also obtained a distribution licence from the FG in order to properly utilize the power generated by the Ibom Power Company at Ikot Abasi.
Emmanuel who made this known during an interaction with journalists in Uyo yesterday maintained that no state government has invested up to half of what Akwa Ibom has invested in the sector.
The Governor pointed out that with the construction of five digital substations with a sixth on the pipeline, the state would achieve its power for all programmes in the shortest possible time.
He expressed dissatisfaction with the inability of the PHEDC to distribute power effectively with the state getting less than 70MGW even when the state’s owned power plant produce as much as 115MGW.
“The good news however is that we have also obtained a distribution licence using a utility company so that we can distribute the power we generate effectively and achieve a 24-hour electricity supply to every part of the state in the shortest possible time.” He said.
On education, the Governor said that in addition to sustaining the free and compulsory education scheme, more than 5,000 education infrastructure has been provided in schools across the state in the last seven years but regretted that local vandals have continued to frustrate the efforts of the state government in this direction.
He maintained that the state government would not encourage the 21-storey edifice built for International Oil Companies to be rented below its value and expressed confidence that with a PDP administration at the federal level the reluctance of the IOCs to relocate to their area of operations would be a thing of the past.
Emmanuel called for support for the state PDP candidate, Mr Umoh Enoh adding that his passion for youth empowerment and experience in business and the corporate world would brood well for the state in the coming years.
He described as unfair and immature, recent calls for the state government to pay compensation for property owners on the Odukpani-Itu highway wondering why Akwa Ibom, producing more than 35% of the nation’s oil would be considered unqualified to enjoy the full gains of the Petroleum Profit Tax of which it has remained a major contributor.
The Governor called on indigenes of the state to always rise to the challenge of protecting the interest of the state at all times adding that the state deserves more from the Federal Government considering its enormous contribution to the Nigerian economy.
“How do you expect a state to pay compensation to properties on a road being constructed by the Federal Government. Who did the valuation and is that the practice? The contract sum for that road could have been enough for me to take the road towards Aba.
“So I am calling on our people not to allow themselves to be intimidated by anybody. Always have the interest of the state at heart at all times.” He said.
