Niger State government and the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) have developed an initiative to improve electricity supply across the state.
The initiative code named: “Light Up Niger 2024” is a collaboration between the state government and the AEDC to ensure steady power supply to Nigerlites.
This was brought to the fore when Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago received the AEDC delegation led by its chief operations officer, Engr Chijioke Okwuokenye, at the Government House, Minna.
Bago described the initiative as a welcome development because the state is host to four hydro dams and the dams contribute about 60 per cent electricity in Nigeria.
He said power supply is key to development, especially as the state goes into industrialisation and processing zones.
The governor expressed optimism that the “Light Up Niger” project will also proffer solution to the metering challenge in the state.
Governor Bago disclosed that the Electricity Act has been domesticated in the state and the Niger State Electricity Regulatory Commission has been created.
He stated that the necessary paperwork for the Regulatory Commission will soon be completed so that the state can start generating and distributing its own power.
Earlier, Okwuokenye said the “Light Up Niger” project when it takes off will pave the way for greater things to come as the whole scope is to come up with the best measures that will improve and sustain electricity supply to Niger State.
He commended the support of the Bago-led administration through the supply of transformers to communities saying that the private sector needs such support for survival and assured that the company is willing to continue to partner with the state government for the desired result.
Recently, the state government described as unacceptable the continuous erratic and epileptic power supply and demanded for about 24 hours power supply or the state will withdraw from AEDC to join another distribution company.
