By Seun Ibiyemi
The Federal Government has included Ikom in a N12 billion intervention fund for power restoration projects across the country, following prolonged blackout caused by the collapse of transmission infrastructure serving the Cross River State community.
The Minister of State for Industry, Senator John Owan Enoh, disclosed this after a working meeting with the Minister of Power, Chief Joseph Olasunkanmi Tegbe, on the electricity challenges confronting Ikom.
Enoh said the Minister of Power had reviewed the situation in Ikom and assured stakeholders that electricity supply to the area would be restored within the next two months.
According to him, investigations into the prolonged blackout established that the disruption was caused by the collapse of about five transmission towers supplying electricity to the area.
The minister described the situation as a structural infrastructure challenge rather than a temporary seasonal disruption, noting that the prolonged loss of electricity had increased living costs, weakened commercial activities and forced businesses and industries to rely on generators.
He stressed that inadequate electricity supply remained a major constraint to productive activities and industrial development.
“No amount of exhortation changes that arithmetic. Only restored infrastructure can do so,” Enoh said.
The engagement formed part of the first in a series of Ministerial Roundtables convened by Enoh to examine energy, security and infrastructure as key foundations for industrial recovery.
Enoh said Ikom was too important to the socioeconomic activities of Cross River State’s Central Senatorial District and the state to remain without grid electricity for an extended period.
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He disclosed that following a comprehensive review of the situation with the Minister of Power, Ikom had been included among locations to benefit from the N12 billion Federal Government intervention fund for power restoration projects nationwide.
The Minister of State for Industry said the intervention was necessary to restore critical infrastructure and reduce the economic burden imposed on residents and businesses by the prolonged blackout.
Enoh noted that restoring grid electricity would also help businesses reduce their dependence on costly generators and support economic activities in the area.
He said the government’s responsibility in the power sector goes beyond electricity generation to ensuring that available power is transmitted through functioning infrastructure to consumers.
“The government’s primary responsibility in the power sector is to transform generated electricity into energized lines and operational towers,” he said.
He added that the planned intervention would provide a pathway for the restoration of electricity to households, traders and businesses in Ikom while supporting broader efforts to revive productive activities in the area.
The intervention is expected to address the immediate transmission infrastructure challenges responsible for the prolonged blackout and improve electricity access for residents and businesses in Ikom.
