Governor Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom State has urged the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to complete the power transmission line from Ikot Abasi local government area through Ekparakwa in Oruk Anam by linking it to Alaoji Power Station in Aba, Abia State.
“That power line will ease a lot of electricity problems in this region. It will help us to evacuate a whole lot of power from Ibom Power Station to the national grid and that will help the entire region,” he said.
Speaking when he received a delegation of directors led by Effiong Akwa, NDDC sole administrator, in his office, the governor said Akwa Ibom State has “capable hands that can serve as the group managing director of the NNPC since we produce 36.1 percent of the oil and gas reserves in Nigeria.” He added that the state has the human resources to do a lot more for the country.
Udom thanked the NDDC for donating six waste disposal trucks and bins to assist the state in maintaining a clean environment, adding: “We appreciate that support because I believe that cleanliness is next to godliness.”
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Udom urged the NDDC to continue with its “inclusive approach to development”, noting that the commission would achieve more by working in partnership with all stakeholders. He thanked President Muhammadu Buhari for appointing Akwa as the administrator of the NDDC.
Earlier, the sole administrator informed that the visit was part of NDDC’S continuing engagement with stakeholders of the Niger Delta region.
“When I was appointed just about sixty days ago, the president charged me with, among other things, facilitating a stronger collaboration with, and building a more vigorous partnership among relevant stakeholders in the region.
“To facilitate rapid, even and sustainable development of the Niger Delta, one of the key prescriptions of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is partnership.”
Akwa applauded Udom for “demonstrating a strong belief in the Niger Delta project.”
He said: “Our visit is both to acknowledge your strategic importance to Niger Delta development, as well as to seek ways in which we can forge a stronger alliance with the government and people of Akwa Ibom State.
“The past practice where the NDDC undertook projects in states, without first building a working coalition with the state governments, to integrate our plans, policies, projects and programmes into the state governments’ overall master plan, is over,” he added.
