Posted by By Isaac Olamikan on
A few days ago, the Bayelsa State government approved a supplementary budget ofN34.5 billion for 2005. According to the Commissioner for Information, Culture, Tourism and Strategy, Honourable Oronto Douglas while speaking about the budget, part of the money will be set aside to improve the power generation and distribution system in the state.
A few days ago, the Bayelsa State government approved a supplementary budget ofN34.5 billion for 2005. According to the Commissioner for Information, Culture, Tourism and Strategy, Honourable Oronto Douglas while speaking about the budget, part of the money will be set aside to improve the power generation and distribution system in the state.
Olice Kemenabo, the General Manager of the State Electricity Board, operators of the Gas Turbine, told Telegraph how the money will be spent.
Hear him: "We've been talking about the fact that we (Bayelse State) have a very poor transmission and distribution network. You are aware that this state was created out of eight local government an the headquarters of one of them was turned to the state capital. So, whatever is available in terms of power generation and distribution is within that old order. Now that the state has emerged, we need to have multiple transmission lines radiating from the power station to various parts of Yanagoa so that we can have a flexible operating situation as well as efficiently managing load, which has been increasing astronomically. Kemenabo said: We've sent various proposals to government Perhaps, based on those proposals government would have decided to include in the supplementary budget whatever estimate, we've made. But I have not been formally informed of the fact that we've an approval for some money in the supplementary budget".
On his presentation to the government on the national grid Kemenabo said:
"The presentation T am making to the state government is not necessarily to make the national grid to be extended to the state. The question is when the geo-political zones are to assume the power holding company shares, we (Bayelsa State) should be placed a better position to dictate how much comes to the state. That presentation is still on and there is no doubt that the governor will endorse it. For the national grid extending to Bayelsa State, it has been a topic of discussion since 1999. We're expecting that it will soon come to reality as the Minister of Power and steel while commissioning the Ahoada (Rivers State) transmission substation stated that the Bayelsa State would be connected to the national grid come December 2005.
We hope that the Federal Government keeps to its promise". He is of a strong opinion that an improvement in power generation and distribution will encourage investors to open up industries in the state.
"Like I said sometime ago, we are erecting new power stations so that we can have a minimum of 100 Mega watts of electricity generated in the state. The only way that this electricity generated can be of use to industries is by transmission lines. And as we've already invested about 50% of the money for the power station, the next stage is to ensure that it is evacuated from wherever the power station is located to wherever the industries would be located".
He advised that power generation should not be politicized, so that much could be achieved. Noting that if Governor DSP Alamieyeseigha has not been a listening state chief executive, nothing tangible would be achieved in the area of power generation and distribution in the state.
"The governor of Bayelsa State (Chief Alamieyeseigha) has never politicized electricity generation, transmission and distribution. Once the technocrats present any proposal to him, he looks at it and gets back to them to ask few question, if he is in doubt. And once he is satisfied, he goes ahead to appr0ove the proposal".
He revealed that the present power holding company is being unbundles and it is going to be transfom1ed into six independent geo-politically aligned power companies. Olice called for unity in the handling of power generation and supply in the South-South zone so that the people of the zone can benefit immensely in this regard.
On claims by some states to be the pioneers in independent power generation and distribution, Olice cautioned that he'll rather call for an independent assessment of the claims as Bayelsa state which is the only state that has never enjoyed power from the national grid has been working round the clock to improve on its independent power supply system instead of engaging in meaningless self-glorification.