Emmanuel Ugwu-Nwogo in Umuahia
Abia State ministries, departments and agencies(MDAs) hitherto disconnected from public power supply due to huge debt overhang are being reconnected to the grid.
Commissioner for information and Culture, Prince Okey Kanu, made this known yesterday while briefing the media on the outcome of State Executive Council meeting.
He said that the MDAs were plunged into darkness following accumulation of unpaid electricity bills which caused the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC) to cut off the Abia MDAs.
However, Kanu said that unpaid electricity bills were part of the “legacy debts” the Alex Otti administration inherited from the past government.
He said that the Ministry of Power and Public Utilities was already engaging with the EEDC to find a way out of the problem, adding that it was already yielding good result as MDAs are beginning to glow again.
Throwing more light into the engagement with EEDC, the Commissioner for Power for Power and Public Utilities, Ikechukwu Monday, said that the reconnection of MDAs commenced from the health sector.
He said that the Specialist Hospital and the School of Nursing at Amachara as well as the Specialist Hospital and Diagnostic Centre Umuahia have all been reconnected to the grid.
Monday stated that government was desirous of ensuring that all the MDAs are provided with power supply to create conducive working environment for workers.
“There is no way you can drive government policies without the public service. Without power the environment won’t be conducive for workers,” he said.
The commissioner further stated that government was engaging with both Aba Power(subsidiary of Geometric Power Limited) and EEDC to design a long term strategy to ensure constant power supply in Abia.
He said that government was ready “to help” the power distribution firms where necessary to ensure that they provide efficient services to residents of Abia, adding that government would take advantage of the new law on power generation.
In her remarks the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Special Duties, Dr. Betty Obasi, said that government was committed to its policy of holistic rejuvenation of the health sector.
“Government is making sure that no stone is left unturned to ensure that every person in Abia is in good health,” she said.
