Senate C’ttee Tasks PHCN On Service Stations

The Senate Committee on Aviation, has directed the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) to immediately set up service stations at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.

The committee also directed that similar action be carried out in other airports in the country.

The committee issued the directive following explanations from officials of PHCN and the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) on the cause of the blackout at the airport last Saturday.

The chairman of the committee, Senator Hope Uzodinma, said the blackout at the airport was a huge embarrassment to the country.

He, however, assured the people that “every necessary step” must be taken to forestall any future occurrences.

The chairman also directed the Minister of Power, Prof Barth Nnaji, to ensure a dedicated power line at the airport, noting that the current arrangement was deficient.

Uzodinma appealed to the government agencies concerned to work together to ensure smooth operations to check future occurrence of the blackout, and noted that if FAAN had worked in collaboration with PHCN, the blackout would have been averted.

He stressed the need for officials of the distribution company at the airport to be present at their duty posts at all times.

Abdulganiyu Umar, the Chief Executive Officer of Abuja Electricity Distribution Company, had told the committee that the power outage was caused by the ongoing electrical work by FAAN contractors at the airport.

The Head, Electrical Department of FAAN, Mr. Sam Dahua, told the committee that after the light went off, the generators were immediately switched on but they equally failed after a while.

Dahua said all the parties, namely the committee, PHCN, FAAN and the National Integrated Power Projects (NIPP), signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) after consultations.