Anthony Iwuoma
The distinguished senator representing Imo North in the Red Chamber of the National Assembly, Sir Frank Ibezim, has scored a very good point by attracting a power transmission sub-station to his constituency.
Sen. Ibezim had moved a motion on the ‘urgent need to construct the Power Transmission Substation in Okigwe LGA for rapid industrial growth’ at plenary, drawing the attention of the senate to the anomalous situation in Okigwe, headquarters of Imo North Senatorial District, which had earlier been enlisted alongside other towns for the construction of the power station but curiously left out in the end.
Okigwe, the senator recalled, “In 2003 was marked for a power transmission substation alongside Port Harcourt, Aba, Umuahia and Enugu, respectively by the Federal Ministry of Power.”
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However, he noted: “The Federal Ministry of Power supervised and delivered the approved transmission line from Port Harcourt to Enugu with construction of substation, leaving out Okigwe from the approved list.
“The absence of light and the approved power station has not only occasioned darkness and stunted general development but engendered avoidable criminal activities, unemployment and youth restiveness in the town.”
Therefore, Sen. Ibezim urged the Federal Ministry of Power to urgently effect the construction of the already approved but abandoned Okigwe 132/33KVA transmission substation as well as to upgrade the Okigwe power facility to a district station.
The senator followed this up with a letter to the Chairman of Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), wherein he made a formal complaint and sought his intervention in the Okigwe Local Government Area within his constituency.
In the letter dated June 21, 2021, Sen. Ibezim argued that the request became “necessary because the people of this zone have experienced unstable and poor power supply, which has resulted in job losses, youth restiveness and created unemployment’’.
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In a swift response, Sanusi Garba, the NERC chairman, informed Sen. Ibezim in a letter dated July 28, 2021, that the commission had approved three projects in that regard, to be fully funded by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
The first of the projects to be handled by the Transmission Company of Nigeria is the completion of 2x40WA 132/33kv transmission station to be completed in June 2021. The other two projects to be executed by Enugu Electricity Company Plc., are the construction of 36.02km 33kv line from Umuahia Tower to Okigwe junction and construction of 12km dedicated line JDP to Ihitte Uboma and installation of circular breaker. Both contracts have October 2022 as terminal dates.
Expectedly, Sen. Ibezim’s constituents are elated by this feat coming too soon after he assumed his seat in the Senate barely three months ago and hopeful of greater democracy dividends coming to the zone.
“Ibezim has started very well. All eyes can see and testify to this. If he could swing this project within so short a time, one could imagine where Okigwe Zone would be by the time he completes his tenure. Those fighting him should wait for their turn. The people are happy with him and will get even happier in the coming months,” one of the constituents enthused.
“This bitter politics in the zone will not help anyone. What have the people fighting him done for the zone in all the years they were in power or corridors of power? They should wait for another time and stop shopping for favourable judgments where there should be none. Ibezim should not be distracted because his selfish detractors must fail.”
