Ndume Commends Tinubu Over N68bn Maiduguri Power Plant

Former Senate Leader, Ali Ndume, has commended President Bola Tinubu for approving the sum of
N68 billion operational support to the Maiduguri Emergency Power Plant (MEPP).

Findings revealed that the EPP was a presidential intervention initiated in 2021 to mitigate prolonged power outage, caused by insurgents vandalizing power infrastructure, leaving the state without electricity for nearly two years.

Further findings revealed that the fund will be released in phases with N2 billion monthly OPEX intervention funding from March 2026 to December 2028, totaling N68 billion to bridge the existing funding gap in the operations of the Maiduguri Emergency Power Plant (MEPP).

The lawmaker representing Borno South in a statement he personally signed, expressed gratitude to the federal government for responding to the long agitation of the people who have been at the receiving end of prolonged power outage.

Senator Ndume noted that restoration of electricity would add value to the economic life of the people, particularly in the informal sector of the economy.

He also declared that stable power will also complement the resilient efforts of the military in routing insurgents whom he noted are agents of darkness and thrive better in environment where there is no visibility particularly at night.

He said, ” I join the Borno State governor, Professor Babagana Zulum, and other well meaning citizens of my state to express profound gratitude to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for this great gesture, aimed at ensuring stable electricity in the state.

“The fund released to the Maiduguri Emergency Power Plant is a life line that would ultimately, engender economic activities particularly operations of Medium and Small Scale Enterprises ( SMES).

“As the saying goes, an idle mind is a devil’s workshop. When the informal sector thrives in a place like Borno state , the government would have succeeded in cutting off the supply chain for recruitment of able bodied men by the terrorists.

“Apart from that, the stimulus for the seamless operations of our military would have been strengthened. ”
The former Senate Chief Whip however called on the relevant federal and state agencies, the military and the citizenry to ensure that power infrastructures were no longer destroyed, either by insurgents or the nefarious activities of vandals.

“It is to the eternal credit of the federal government that it has responded speedily to our lamentations over power shortage.

“I urge our people to be vigilant and assist the security agencies in checking the excesses of vandals.
“We owe it a duty to safeguard the facilities as the benefits of stable electricity are numerous.

” When power is restored, it will boost economic activities and improve livelihoods. It will also strengthen efforts to address security challenges,” he added.