Nasarawa State governor, Engineer Abdullahi Sule, has identified power supply as critical to the industrialization and employment thrust of his administration.
Engineer Sule stated this while commissioning the 20km 33KVA electrification project executed by the Chairman of Keana Local Government Area, Hon. Adamu Adi Giza, in Giza, on Friday.
According to the governor, nothing much will be achieved in the area of industrialization, employment, among other mantra of the administration, without power supply.
Governor Sule reiterated that, on assumption of office, his administration entered into a contract with the people of the state, for the provision of infrastructure, employment opportunities, healthcare, water supply and electricity, stressing that the 20km electricity project in Giza, is perfectly in line with the policy thrust of the state government.
“Our vision is to add value, provide infrastructure and to make life easy for our people,” he stated.
The governor disclosed that as part of the efforts by his administration to ensure that the problem of power supply in the state has become a thing of the past, concrete steps are being taken to ensure the completion of the 330KVA substation in Akurba, a suburb of Lafia, the state capital.
Having inherited the project from the immediate past administration of Senator Umaru Tanko Al-makura, Engineer Sule said he has taken it upon himself to visit every critical stakeholder involved in the project, with final assurances that the project, is due for completion within months.
“The Akurba power substation project is 100 percent complete as of now. What remains, is what they call the line-in, line-out, which the owners of the project assured me, will be completed in months,” he said.
The governor disclosed that already, equipment for the final phase of the project, have arrived the project site from Lagos, with 14 out of the 23, forty-foot containers now in Akurba.
He reemphasized that on completion of the Akurba power substation, the problem of power supply in the state, will be a thing of the past, with six dedicated lines to distribute power across the state.
“Two lines will be dedicated to Lafia, one line will go to Doma, one line will take care of Assakio/Obi/Keana, one line will go to Akwanga,” the governor said.
Engineer Sule equally disclosed that his administration is working on the generation of hydroelectric power in Farin Ruwa, Wamba Local Government Area.
The governor commended Hon. Adamu Adi for undertaking the electrification project valued at N150m, especially at a time when speculations are rife the local government chairmen are unable to sink water boreholes in their domain.
Engineer Sule said because of the importance his administration attaches to infrastructure and the efforts of local government chairmen, he is attending the event alongside his deputy, Dr. Emmanuel Akabe.
“Let me commend you specifically, the chairman of Keana Local Government Area, for your vision, determination and effort, because this is perfectly in line with the vision of our administration,” the governor said.
In a welcome address, Keana Local Government Area Chairman, Hon. Giza, lauded the development initiatives of the Engineer Sule led administration, especially the provision of infrastructure, roads, electricity, water supply, among others, across the 13 local government areas of the state, including Keana LGA.
Hon Giza said it’s for this reason, that in spite of the economic challenges posed by the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in dwindling resources at the council, he decided to embark on the project not only to bring succour to the people of the area, but to also emulate the giant strides of the governor.