.Light-Up Nigeria Project new dawn for S/East, says Gov. Mbah
.Nigeria will work if Region works, says Shettima
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has described the completion and commissioning of the Aba Geometric Power Plant as a game changer project and a testimony to the power of dreams.
The President who was represented by the Vice President, Kashim Shettima during the occasion of the commissioning of the Aba Geometric power plant in Osisioma industrial area, in Abia state lauded the chairman of the Geometric Power Group, Professor Bart Nnaji for what he has achieved, explaining that president Tinubu is proud of the completion and commissioning of the project as well as Prof. Nnaji.
Continuing, he commended the Abia State Governor Dr Alex Otti for his good leadership in the State stressing that he witnessed the love and support for him, while commissioning three roads rehabilitated by the Governor in Aba while enjoining him to continue the good work he is doing in the state.
He expressed appreciation to Prof. Benedict Oramah describing him as a man who has been identifying with Nigeria project and has used his platform to better Africa in large .
His words: “The Geometric power plant project bears testimony to the power of dreams. The Project we are about to commission is a game changer project and I bring you glad tidings from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“He is mightily proud of completion and commissioning of this project and mightily proud of Prof. Bart Nnaji.
“Today in Aba, we saw testimony of good leadership. I saw the love and support of the people for Dr Alex Otti . I was privileged to commission three roads in Aba, the Queens Road , Jubilee Road and Omoba Road on behalf of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Posterity will be very kind to you Governor Alex Otti, keep the flag flying”.
In his speech, Abia State Governor, Dr Alex Otti , welcomed the President to Abia State, adding that his presence shows the commitment of the Federal Government to supporting private investors .
He said the commissioning of the Geometric power plant signifies the dawn of a new era and appreciated Nnaji and all his international partners.
He informed that the Geometric power plant is very special and dear to him , stressing that it was in 2010 that Prof. Nnaji came to him for support when he was heading the Diamond Bank.
He thanked the former Governor Orji Uzor Kalu for giving the group opportunity to start in Abia State and expressed appreciation to the Obi of Onitsha HRM Eze Achebe who was the chairman of Diamond Bank then for playing active role, thanked Professor Ben Oramah and the Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPCL, Mele Kyari for his role, adding that the commissioning of Aba Geometric power plant will send clear signal that Aba is open to businesses and investors.
Speaking during the commissioning of the roads, he said the projects being commissioned are strategic roads.
He thanked the contractors for working in line with specifications, including putting drainages in the two sides of the roads and delivering them in good time. He stressed that the roads are built to last .
“This road is a road that is built to last. When we do this, we want to give the power back to the people. We want to give access to you. We want you to go back to what you do and what you know how to do without any obstruction and that is why we have promised that every part of Aba must be touched”.
The State chief executive thanked Mr. President for the support he has been giving to his administration since he assumed office and assured the people of the State that his administration is just starting, adding that he would ensure he fulfils his promises to them.
Earlier,the Chairman, Geometric Power Group, Prof. Nnaji said the project which was initiated by Chief Olusegun Obasanjo when he was President, his then Minister of Finance,Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala gave approval when it was presented to him, which has now been completed and being commissioned.
According to him, “The test of whether Nigeria can have reliable electricity is here, and that test is partly about gas supply.
“We can guarantee that if we have reliable gas supply, we will provide reliable electricity to Aba metropolis and the onus is now on the government to demonstrate that reliable power is possible in Nigeria by ensuring that this project gets reliable gas supply.
“When the project’s only financial security which is ARFA was wrongly sold by the BPE during privatization, it was former President Buhari’s team of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and Minister of Power Babatunde Fashola that mediated an out of court settlement for the return of Ring -fenced Area to Aba power but with refund of what was paid by the core investors in EEDC including penalties we had to pay on behalf of the Federal Government.
“The Government of President Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima has also continued to support the project. Mr Vice President just last week intervened to resolve a way forward on what was becoming a very dangerous issue for Aba Power ”
He expressed gratitude to former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan for giving him the opportunity to highlight the possibilities for sustainable power delivery in Nigeria as well as various administrations in Abia State for providing support in their various ways.
He thanked Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, Senator T.A Orji, Dr Okezie Ikpeazu and the current administration of Dr Alex Otti. The support of current administration he said started when he was the CEO of Diamond Bank and to now as Governor of the State.
Speaking further, he expressed appreciation to Dr Pascal Dozie, Dr Herbert Wigwe of blessed memory, the CEO of AMCON, the CEO of Stanbic Bank, CEO of BOI and Afreximbank among others.
He also thanked the President of Afreximbank Prof. Benedict Oramah and the key Federal Government institutions that have been and continue to be key success factors for Aba IPP.
In his speech,the Nigeria Minister for power,Chief Adelabu Adebayo who said the Geometric power plant is for all Nigerians and not only for Aba people, noted that with the commissioning of Aba Geometric power plant the long time problem of power in Nigeria would be resolved soon.
He revealed that the Federal Government will watch Geometric power plant and that when it succeeds will be used as a model.
He said that Geometric power plant will bring an end to estimated electric billing, while appealing to all Nigerians to make sure the Geometric power plant is secured as well as pay their electric bills to ensure that the plant continue to function.
Light-Up Nigeria Project signals new dawn for South East, says Gov. Mbah
Meanwhile Hovernor of Enugu State, Dr. Peter Mbah, says the Light-Up Nigeria Project signals a new dawn for power and industrialisation of the South East region, saying other sectors would fall in place once power challenge is fixed.
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 South East, enjoined industrialists in the region to key-in fully and take advantage of the initiative to remove any bottlenecks faced regarding power availability.
He said Light-up Nigeria Project aligned with his administration’s disruptive approach to governance underpinned by thinking outside the box.
The governor spoke at the South East Business Roundtable and flag-off of the Light-up Nigeria Project – South East, 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 South East 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 South East. This will in turn result in reduced power costs for the productive sector and enable them 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.
