Bayelsa State Governor Douye Diri yesterday said the state had been without electricity for the past three months due to the failure of installations owned by the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) which were vandalised by criminals.
Diri who stated this at the All Nigerian Editors Conference held at the DSP Alamieyeseigha Memorial Banquet Hall in Yenagoa, noted that after the vandalism, the state had remained in darkness.
He said his administration was closely working with the TCN to restore the national grid, adding that as part his ASSURED Agenda, there were plans for the state to have its own independent power supply through gas turbines.
“I just want to let you know, maybe you are in hotels where you have power. Bayelsa has been without power for the past three months. “The hotels have light so you may not know that the people of this state have been living without power for the past three months. The reason is that electrical installations of the Transmission Company of Nigeria were vandalised by criminals. After that vandalism, the state has remained in darkness till today. The other one that happened in the North was similar to this one but we heard power has been restored in the North.
“But in our state here for three months and still counting, there is no electricity and we are working hand in gloves with the Transmission Company of Nigeria.
As you are all aware, energy was named under the exclusive list, particularly transmission. It is only with the coming of Mr. President, that he liberalised it and signed into the law that now allows state governments to generate and distribute energy.
“For us as a state, we are very rich in gas even more than oil. Now we are working with the TCN to restore the national grid but we will not stop it there. We have now moved beyond that to see how we can have our own independent power supply through the gas turbines”, he said.
