Amaechi Tasks NBA To Press For Power Concession

 Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State has appealed to the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) to join hands with the state government to press for concession of the Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Network in favour of state control, to ensure steady power supply in the state.

Governor Amaechi made the appeal Friday when a delegation of the state branch of the Nigerian Bar Association led by the Chairman of the Port Harcourt Bar, Barrister Worgu Boms paid him a courtesy call at Government House Port Harcourt.

The governor, who expressed concern that there was much challenges in the system, told the visiting lawyers that the appeal became imperative because he had personally taken some radical steps towards the concession bid but was yet to record any breakthrough.

“The first radical step I took as it pertains to power was a letter to the federal government requesting PHCN to relinquish everything about power generation, and distribution in Rivers State”, the State Chief Executive stated as he explained that the problem with power was not the constitution but the lack of political will to take decision.

He further hinted that he and his counterparts from Akwa Ibom, Cross River and Bayelsa States, which are covered by the Port Harcourt distribution centre, had also jointly fulfilled all necessary requirements requested by the Federal Ministry of Power and the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) to that effect.

The governor said the governors had “even gone ahead to establish a company known as The Fourth Power Nigeria Limited to handle the generation and distribution of electricity for the four states but there has been no response from the agencies”.

Governor Amaechi, who disclosed that the state has no problem with generation but distribution said that government was targeting 24-hour power supply before the end of the year, noting that the State Ministry of Power and PHCN are presently changing transformers in parts of the state capital.

The Electricity Act according to him, only permits the state government to participate in the electricity distribution network only where the federal government does not have its presence and any power facility provided by the state where such presence is, automatically belongs to the federal government without any obligation on it to refund any money to the state.

He said for instance, most of the injection stations being used in the state were built by the state government but are now the property of the federal government, asserting that Rivers and Akwa Ibom States have the capacities to run their own independent power projects.

Governor Amaechi maintained that with steady supply of electricity, security and deregulation of the petroleum sector the nation’s economy can be transformed because more investors would be attracted.

The governor used the occasion to also appeal to the lawyers to educate the public on the relevance of the state’s Social Welfare Bill before the state legislature that has attracted a lot of criticism adding that such act was needed to raise funds to augment the funding of the model secondary schools, as government plans to run a totally free education so that children of poor parents can afford quality education like the children of the rich.

Earlier, the Chairman of Port Harcourt Branch of the NBA Barr Worgu Boms, who led the delegation of the Port Harcourt, Ahoada and Isiokpo Bar, had told the governor that the delegation was at Government House to thank him for the past collaboration between the state government and the association and to offer whatever advice that would be food for thought to the government to promote good governance.

Barr Boms, who emphasized the correlation between public expectation and the relevance of regular power supply to the economy of the state and the nation, urged the state government to re-examine the electricity act and exploit available opportunities to improve power supply in the state, pointing out that the act did not prohibit any state from setting up its own power company.