By Jimitota Onoyume
PORT HARCOURT — Governor Chibuike Amaechi  has urged the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA,  to  partner with the state government to press for unbundling of Power Holding Company of Nigeria, PHCN,  so as  to improve power supply  to the state.

Governor Amaechi made the appeal when a delegation of the state branch of the association led by its chairman, Mr.  Worgu Boms, paid him a courtesy call at Government House, Port Harcourt.

The Governor, who expressed concern that there were many challenges in the system, said that the appeal had became imperative because he had personally taken some radical steps towards the concession bid but were yet to record any breakthrough.

“The first radical step I took as it pertains to power was a letter to the Federal Government, requesting PHCN to relinquish everything about power generation, and distribution in Rivers State”, he said.

Adding  that the problem with power was not the constitution but the lack of political will to take decision.
He hinted that he and his counterparts from Akwa Ibom, Cross River and Bayelsa States, covered under the Port Harcourt distribution centre, had also jointly fulfilled all necessary requirements requested by the Federal Ministry of Power and PHCN to that effect.

According to him, they  “even gone ahead to establish a company known as The Fourth Power Nigeria Limited to handle the generation and distribution of electricity for the four states but there has been no response from the agencies”.

Governor Amaechi said the state was not having problem with generation but distribution, adding that government was targeting 24_hour power supply before the end of the year. He said the state Ministry of Power and PHCN were already changing transformers in parts of the state capital.

Electricity Act,  according to the Governor allows state government to participate in electricity distribution network when the Federal Government does not have its presence in the area. Meanwhile, any power facility provided by the state where federal presence is automatically belongs to the Federal Government without any obligation on it to refund any money to the state.

He said most of the injection stations being used in the state were built by the state government but are now the property of the Federal Government, adding that Rivers and Akwa Ibom States have the capacity to run their own independent power project.

He maintained that with steady supply of electricity, security and deregulation of the petroleum sector the nation’s economy can be transformed because more investors would be attracted.