The Ebonyi State Government has reaffirmed its pledge to restore power supply to Afikpo communities, which have been without electricity for 13 years.
After inspecting the power project in Afikpo, the state’s Afikpo Local Government Area, on Monday, Mr. Peter Oga-Ali, the State Commissioner for Power and Energy, provided the assurance.
Eight new transformers had been installed, according to Oga-Ali, who also provided a breakdown of the N208 million that the state governor, Francis Nwifuru, had made available for the project.
This comes after he refuted allegations on social media that he had embezzled funds intended for the restoration of power, stating, “As a result, some of the indigenous people have called and directly accused the ministry and me of stealing the money.”
Oga-Al said, “The construction of the Amasiri sub-station in the local government area is also completed for steady power supply. There were additional five old transformers and all of them had been refurbished and installed.
“The challenge we are having is the ongoing construction of the Enugu-Abakaliki Expressway causing relocation of high voltage lines between Nkalagu and Ntezi.
“Once the poles are fixed, the power will be restored in the area. Also, all the works in restoring the power have been completed and I commend the engineers, who were on the field for the quality work,” saying that the “total money was N208 million, but after tax deductions, we now have N194m.”
The commissioner added, “I want to state clearly that on February 28, 2024, N194m was released to the ministry for procurement and installation of eight new transformers and rehabilitation of collapsed electrical lines in Afikpo.
“In addition to the eight transformers, five were also refurbished and installed in the following locations: Enohia Nkalu, Amaozara and Ozizza communities.
“A letter for the completion of works had been sent to the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC) on May 23 by the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, followed with a joint inspection team.”
He made it clear that the Transmission Company of Nigeria is in charge of “ensuring that energy is transmitted from one station to the other,” adding that the ministry was to blame for the energy supply to Afikpo being delayed.
Therefore, the commissioner urged the populace to maintain composure and follow the law while pledging greater commitment to resolving technical issues in order to restore the area’s power supply.
NAN
