ABUJA/Nigeria: Rt. Hon. Nnamdi Ezechi, the member representing Ndokwa-Ukwuani Federal Constituency in the National Assembly, has once again raised concerns over the ongoing lack of electricity in Ndokwa land, despite the area’s significant contributions to the national economy.
Speaking on Monday during the House of Representatives Committee on Power meeting with the Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, top ministry officials, and the Managing Director of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), Engr. Sule Abdulaziz, Hon. Ezechi emphasized the urgent need to address the dire power situation affecting his constituents.
Ezechi highlighted that the prolonged darkness experienced by the Ndokwa people could only be resolved through the completion of key power infrastructure projects, including the Okpai-Kwale 132KV double circuit transmission line, the construction of a 1 x 60MVA, 132/33KV substation at Kwale, and a 1 x 150MVA, 330/132/33KV substation at Okpai. He expressed his determination not to allow his constituents to remain in “perpetual darkness” while he serves in the National Assembly, stressing that electricity is essential for socioeconomic development and should not be denied to the people of Ndokwa/Ukwuani Federal Constituency.
While acknowledging the complex challenges hindering the completion of these vital electrification projects, Ezechi expressed hope that the Transmission Company of Nigeria would make significant progress once the legal obstacles impeding the project were cleared.
In response, TCN Managing Director Engr. Sule Abdulaziz shed light on the various issues delaying the project, including price variations and community-related challenges. He explained that the emergency procurement of equipment, prompted by the urgent needs of the constituency, had led to petitions against TCN to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), further complicating the project’s execution.
Despite these setbacks, Engr. Abdulaziz assured the committee that once the EFCC investigations were concluded and other related issues resolved, the contractors would be fully mobilized to resume work on the electrification project, with the aim of meeting the long-standing power needs of the Ndokwa/Ukwuani communities.
