Bayelsa State government is poised to take advantage of the Electricity (Amendment) Act recently enacted by the federal government by partnering with well-meaning investors to generate and supply power in the state.
The deputy governor, Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, made this known during a courtesy visit by the House of Representatives Committee on Power led by its chairman, Hon Victor Nwokolo, to the Government House, Yenagoa, yesterday.
Ewhrudjakpo identified poor power supply occasioned by endemic corruption and lack of patriotism on the part of most stakeholders in the sector as a major stumbling block to efforts being made to drive industrial and economic development in Nigeria.
While expressing gratitude to his visitors, he urged them to facilitate the resuscitation of the Gbarain 252 Mega Watts Power Station in Koroama, which had a part of it burnt since September last year, thereby subjecting the state to unprecedented power outages.
Ewhrudjakpo wondered why the federal government-owned station had failed to function effectively for the people to benefit maximally despite the state government’s support.
The deputy governor, however, commended the National Assembly for enacting the Nigerian Electricity (Amendment) Act 2024, which ended the monopoly of the federal government in the power sector over the years.
The Bayelsa number two man also thanked the member representing Yenagoa/Kolokuma federal constituency at the House Representatives, Hon Oboku Oforji, for raising the issue of blackout in the state on the floor of the house, which necessitated the visit.
He maintained that although investment in the power sector was quite capital intensive, the state government’s doors were open for effective partnerships to meet the energy needs of the state.
In his response, Nwokolo said they were in Bayelsa for an on-the-spot inspection of the burnt section of the power transmission station at Gbarain in Yenagoa local government area of the state.
Addressing newsmen at the Gbarain Power Plant, Koroama, Nwokolo assured that the committee would report its findings to the House to enable it take informed decisions to improve power supply in Bayelsa and environs.
Also, the member representing Yenagoa/Kolokuma/Opokuma federal constituency, Hon Oforji Oboku and the managing director, Bayelsa State Electricity Company, Mr Olice Kemenanabo, expressed displeasure at the laid-back attitude of NDPHC toward fixing the burnt section of the Gbarain power plant.
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