The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) wish to categorically register our firm objection, on behalf of the people of Akwa Ibom State, to the release by the Akwa Ibom State Government through one Dada Michael, the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Ibom Power Plant, titled: THE TRUTH ABOUT CONSTANT FAULTS ON THE ABA–ITU 132KV TRANSMISSION LINE which for all intents and purposes is an attempt to blackmail the youth and people of Akwa Ibom State for the abysmal failure of Pastor Umo Eno to secure steady electricity supply for the state.
In Paragraphs 12- 16 the release makes baseless accusations of vandalism, youth unrest and demand for compensation against the youth and communities in Akwa Ibom State as the reason behind the combined serial failures of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) and Ibom Power Plant (IPP).
This is typical of Umo Eno’s tenebrific misadinationism already infamous for always attacking, punishing and persecuting its own citizens for its own failures.
Laconically, when an irresponsible government fails it blames the people first before they can raise their voices in protest against the government failures.
According to the release, Akwa Ibom originally:
“…receives electricity from three sources: the national grid through the Aba–Itu 132kV transmission line, the Itu–Adiabo (Calabar) transmission line, and the state-owned Ibom Power Plant.
“This means power into the state can come from Abia State, Calabar, or from the state-owned Ibom Power Plant.
“However, the Itu–Adiabo line from Calabar was vandalised some years ago, leaving the old Aba–Itu transmission line as the only source of grid power supply into the state and generation from Ibom Power.”
This release which should be better titled THE SHAMELESS LIES ABOUT CONSTANT FAULTS ON THE ABA–ITU 132KV TRANSMISSION LINE because of its mischievous economy with the truth is, in one breath, not ashamed to admit that Akwa Ibom State now relies “solely” on Aba-Itu 137KV Transmission Line when even the people of Aba do not rely on it courtesy of Gov. Alex Otti’s ingenious and people-centric initiative in providing state sourced electricity for Abians.
In the same breath; it -albeit unwittingly- admits in the concluding paragraph to the fact that the state government has failed, refused and neglected to provide gas for Ibom Power Plant to generate electricity for the state.
Whereas it is public secret that Engr. Meyen Etukudoh, the immediate past Managing Director of Ibom Power Plant Company Limited was maliciously dismissed by the Governor for revealing to the public the very truth that the PRO now confirms; it is naturally our fear for the said PRO of IPP that the Governor may call for his immediate sack instead of listening to the genuine appeal of the agency as contained in the release.
Be that as it may, it is a rather rueful irony that Akwa Ibom State under the leadership of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was arguably the first state in Nigeria to begin the journey to Power Independence through generation, alternate sourcing and marketing and distribution structure but Pastor Umo Eno who inherited the journey more than half way to completion has plunged the state in backward overdrive, disconnecting us from light and now negligently connects us to darkness leaving the entire state to grope in the dark like preys in Oswald Mtshali’s Nightfall In Soweto.
Accordingly, we call on Gov. Umo Eno to stop paying lip service to the power problem in the state by organising shallow power summits, making empty promises and maliciously dismissing those with the technical know-how and passion to solve the problem, and to henceforth commence immediate payment of all outstanding debt owed to the company responsible for supply of gas to IPP to enable them resume supply of gas to the facility for onward generation of electricity for Akwa Ibom State.
Whereas it will require a consistent supply within the estimated range of not less than 150-200 Megawatts (MW) to adequately power Akwa Ibom State, the Ibom Power Plant has an installed capacity of 189 MW to 191 MW (Phase 1) and holds a license for up to 685 MW from the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) to accommodate future expansion.
It this therefore a no brainer that while we currently operate on an island mode, supposedly generating roughly 84-115 MW internally to avoid grid failures (before Umo Eno’s gas supply failures) with sincere, intentional and consistent passion we can totally disconnect from the perennially collapsing National Grid in the nearest future.
After all, even the Presidency (Aso Rock) at the very centre – that Gov. Umo Eno infamously claimed to want to connect the state to during his treacherous defection from PDP- has concluded plans to disconnect from its very own national grid. So why do we indulge the same national grid to frustrate lives, damage properties and ruin businesses of our citizens except unless our governor does not truly care about the people.
God bless Akwa Ibom State
God bless Peoples Democratic Party
Proudly PDP
Comr. Ewa Okpo Edmund
14032026
