By Jennifer John…
The Commissioner for Power and Electrification, Engr. Nwabueze Oguchienti had said that the state government has commenced the processes of taking over the electricity market in the state, as a result of the recent constitution amendment, as it relates to the electricity Act of 2023.
He said the Act bestowed power on state governments to generate and distribute electricity in their individual states.
Oguchienti disclosed this while fielding questions from newsmen after the official issuance of interim license to Urashi Electricity Distribution Company Ltd
“It is a journey that has clearly started, I can assure you that in the next one year, it will be a different story in the state, because His Excellency is very much committed to changing the narratives of power supply in the state.
According to him, as soon as the constitution amendment was passed, the Governor, Senator Hope Uzodimma took the bull by the horns and put in place, the necessary legal framework and constituted the Imo State Electricity Regulatory Commission, which has the mandate to regulate the electricity market in the state and issue licences to the operators.
In his address, the chairman of Imo State Electricity Regulatory Commission Engr. Sam Nwire said the issuance of an interim license to Orashi Electricity Distribution Company places Imo State as one of the forerunners in the the issue of electricity generation and distribution in Nigeria, as a result of the new Electricity Act.
He said reason for the interim license was because there is a limitation to the issue of license in the order given to them by NEC.
“Based on that, we felt that since we are not ready to have done all we are supposed to do as a Commission, within the allowable six months, we found a window in the law that gives us a permission to issue what is known as interim license, which ideally has no difference with the license, just the issue of not having a full tenure”.
Earlier in his address, the General Manager of Orashi Electricity Distribution Company, Engr. Valentine Obumeyan said their mission was to work towards steady electricity supply in the state, in line with the vision of the governor, adding, “We at Urashi Electricity Distribution Company are ready to give him all the support he needs”.
He said management of the company already has a master plan, to ensure that the mandate is adequately executed, describing the presentation of the license to them as a very important milestone in their master plan.
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