Council Mulls Alternative Power Supply

The Bida Emirate Council in Niger State, says it is contemplating partnership  with some investors to maximise  the use of solar energy for steady supply of electricity in Bida and environs.
The Emir of Bida, Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar, gave the indication  at a news conference recently in Bida at his palace.
This followed  the protest by a crowd  that  thronged his palace to register some grievances over  the epileptic power supply in the town.
“The temperature of Bida must be harnessed towards generating power through the  sun for the need of the people.
“We  cannot afford to waste this high temperature in Bida,we must maximise it  through the solar system.
“The investors we are bringing in will also invest in electricity along side the solar,” he said.
Abubakar, appealed to the protesters  to exercise more patience for the initiative  to bear fruits as soon as possible.
“I advise all of you  to remain calm because this situation has been with us for some time.
“I will go through the position paper that the conveners gave me  to see the input I can make before presenting it to the appropriate authority.
“This situation has been with us for some time, a situation where they will fix the problem and after a  fortnight the problem erupts again does not augur well for development, “ he said.
According to the emir, there is no country on earth that can develop optimally with epileptic power supply.
“Small and medium enterprises ought to thrive in Bida because of the population here but for epileptic power supply,” he said.
Abubakar,  also critici-sed the billing system of Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC), saying it had become very “exorbitant and harsh for the people to grapple with”.
“It is the dissatisfaction the people are having from AEDC that has brought about the protest,” he said.
The protesters had earlier blocked the highway passing through  Bida from 6: 00 a.m. to 12 noon to express their grievances against the epileptic power supply from AEDC which office was also locked up.
The action caused a traffic jam for motorists traveling to various destinations through the road.