With the availability of electricity and following the successful operation of this power plant, the industrialization process of the state has commenced as the state has gradually been building industries like the Jubilee syringe and AKEES pencil and toothpick factories to create employment for the good people of Akwa Ibom state and generate additional revenue to the coffers of the state government. Apart from the availability of power for commercial and industrial uses, it has also improved the quality of life of the people as public power supply is more available for domestic use.
Other sub nationals within the Nigerian geopolitical space should take a cue from the above success story of Akwa Ibom state by developing the political will to deliver good governance to their citizens.
Since the availability of energy is the bedrock of socio-economic development, one of the sector they should channel their energies into is the power sector. The fact remains that every state in Nigeria is blessed with abundant sources of power, whether renewable or non-renewable. States in the North can concentrate on using wind, solar, hydro for power generation while states in the South have plenty gas reserves, water bodies, coal deposits etc that they can tap into to generate power for the benefit and consumption of their people just as Akwa Ibom state has done.
They should realize that the lame excuse of constitutional inadequacies has expired and all they need do is to cultivate the political will in order to make a way and make life better for their people by either directly building power plants or indirectly providing the conducive environment for the private sector to invest in the power sector. With an enabling environment, the private sector is aware of the potentials in the power sector as clearly indicated in the existential energy gap and available market in Nigeria.
Alternatively, states (executive and legislature) can partner with the other arms in the power sector value chain by collaborating with them and assisting them with electrical materials like distribution transformers, electrical poles, conductors, armoured cables, et al. It is never too late to do what is necessary to put smiles on the faces of their people by making life more meaningful for the citizens!
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