… Directs Minister On Power Generation

President Goodluck Jonathan has directed the Minister of State for Power to work out modalities that will empower four South-South States of Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Cross River and Bayelsa to generate and distribute power in the region.

The President, who gave the directive Friday at the commissioning ceremony of the 100MW second phase of the Trans-Amadi Gas Turbine, said the move would ensure efficiency in power generation and distribution as well as enable the people of the region enjoy better power supply.

Dr. Jonathan, who described the commissioning of the 100MW Gas Turbine as unique said, “so long as the four state governments are coming together  to manage their own power, I think granting them such right should be automatic”, stressing that there was no point to generate power without proper distribution arrangement.

“We should reduce the bureaucracy, if there are certain legal issues they should be sorted out as quickly as possible so that the power that is being generated should get to the people”, the President emphasised as he lauded the bold step  so far taken by the Rivers State Government in power generation.

He explained that to underline the importance of power, when God started creation, the first thing He created was light, therefore, when a state decides to generate light, it was a significant development that should be encouraged.

Earlier, the Rivers State Governor, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi said even though the state was generating enough power, it cannot get to the people because  of an epileptic distribution system and renewed his appeal to the federal government to give  t he states the right of distribution.

Governor Amaechi hinted that four South-South Governments of Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Cross River and Bayelsa have come together and written to ask the federal government to hand over the whole distribution network in the region to them for effective distribution.

Other engagements performed by President Goodluck Jonathan include the groundbreaking  ceremony of the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium at the Games Village, Greater Port Harcourt City and the groundbreaking ceremony of the Monorail.

The President also inspected Professor Tam David West Road Project, the Rumuokwuta-Mgbuoba-Choba Road, the Rainbow Town Estate project, as well as the Elekahia Primary Health Centre.

President Jonathan equally commissioned the Rumuobiakani/Oginigba road, the Oginigba-Amadi, Easter-by-Pass road, and  the Rumuokwurushi Interchange East-West   road.