By Tony Adibe
Governor of Enugu State, Dr. Peter Mbah, has said that the Light-Up Nigeria Project signals a new dawn for power and industrialisation of the Southeast region, saying the initiative aligns with his administration’s disruptive approach to governance underpinned by thinking outside the box.
Mbah, while commending the Federal Government and the Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC) for coming up with the project to ramp up power supply to industrial clusters in the Southeast, enjoined industrialists of the region to fully key into it and take advantage of the initiative to remove any bottlenecks they face regarding power availability.
The governor spoke at the Southeast Business Roundtable and flag-off of the Light-up Nigeria Project – Southeast, by the Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima in Enugu on Monday.
“The Light up Nigeria Project Today is, in my view, a new dawn for power in the Southeast and one of the most innovative initiatives in the power sector. This project is of critical importance since it deals with the power sector, which I believe is pivotal to economic growth. Indeed, if we fix power, a lot of other sectors would fall into place.
“This project ensures efficient dispatch of power to the largest consumers via bilateral sales agreements, which overides the existing bulk purchase arrangements through NBET, leveraging on a willing buyer, willing seller structure.
“The Programme will certainly bring improved access to affordable power to the Southeast. This will in turn result in reduced power costs for the productive sector and enable them to improve enganced productivity and generate jobs. This is critical in this day where the country is pushing to boost production and drive-up exports to ultimately shore up our domestic currency.
“Therefore, this project aligns completely with our approach to governance in Enugu in the sense that it is a very disruptive initiative, which shows a deep ability to think outside the box. Today’s Nigeria requires a marked departure from business as usual to business unusual.
He pledged his government’s continued support to industrialists and other private investors across the state to complement the undeniable boost that the Light-up Nigeria Project would bring.
