Clarion call on FG to hand over power to States

When President Goodluck Jonathan during his last state visit to Akwa Ibom switched on the light of Ibom Power Plant (IPP) at Ikot Abasi, the Aluminum City of Akwa Ibom State, many communities in the state, and of course, the whole nation heaved a sigh of relieve with regard to the end of epileptic supply of electricity experienced in the past by the electricity consumers in and around the state.
To this end, the occasion was marked with fan fare by the consumers maintaining the hope that they now have electricity without tears, and true to the expectation, the light since it was switched on had been on without fail except those areas with faulty electric transformers and other accessories.
In the light of this, Century Newsfront Newspapers salutes the present administration under the leadership of Chief Godswill Akpabio for its zeal and sense of purpose and most importantly, His Excellency, Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan for carrying out his official function in the face of all odds by commissioning the project.
Worthy of commendation also, is the management of Ibom Power Plant for ensuring that the long expected answer to electricity question has been answered.
It is therefore, the view of this paper to sound this note of warning to the management and staff of IPP to ensure project maintenance and protection of the equipment there because as Shakespeare in one of his works stated:”To be thus is nothing, but to be safely thus,” And any mistake or carelessness with the project will become an exercise in futility thus returning the sector to zero square.
The project, it is believed when constant power supply is continued would enliven every other sector of the state and national economy including those of the individuals and on this note, we call on both indigenous and foreign investors to turn their searchlight to Akwa Ibom State to be able to benefit maximally from the availability of power which is known to be the main factor in every development of human endeavour.
Against this backdrop therefore, we join the Akpabio-led government by calling on the Federal Government to hand over the functions of Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) to States for effective management and operation of Ibom Power Plant. When this is done, the Problem arising therefrom would be readily addressed unlike what happened in the petroleum sector whereby the producers of petrol found themselves always in lack of this commodity which others afar enjoy it at the distrainment of the producers. Not that the Federal Government should hand off totally, afterall with the National Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) the Federal Government still have a part to play in the operations of Ibom Power Plant.
We need not overemphasize the individual and corporate benefits from this project since both the public and private sectors of the nation’s economy would experience a boom in their businesses in line with the acclamation by the people of the state that they now have electricity without tears.

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