Vice President of Nigeria, Senator Kashim Shettima, has commended the Governor of Enugu State, Dr Peter Mbah on his commitment to educational development in the state.
Pix- VP Shettima
He gave the commendation at the South East Business Roundtable and flag-off of the Light Up Nigeria Programme organised by the Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC) Monday, in Enugu
Shettima promised to come to back to Enugu to commission the Smart schools and other projects,executed by Governor Mbah’
“I am coming back to Enugu to represent the President to commission the Smart schools initiated by Governor Mbah,” he said.
He described the Igbo as industrial people who must be supported for the country to work, adding that the South East governors are among the best in the federation. “If the South East works, Nigeria works”.
Senator Shettima assured Nigerians that the President, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, means well for the Igbo people and Nigerians in general, expressing hope of a country with prosperity.
On the Light Up Nigeria Project, the Vice President said the South East is an industrial powerhouse whose economic fortune remains critical priority to the President.
Pix- Gov Mbah
He noted that the choice of Enugu for the flag-off transcends geographical compensation to economic and commercial hub of the region.
“The choice of Enugu isn’t just for geographical compensation. With its renowned industrial layouts in Emene and 9th Mile corner, the commercial and manufacturing direction, potentials, and promise of Enugu State align with our vision of fast-tracking the economic growth and influence of this project beyond the South East, beyond Nigeria, and in fact, beyond Africa.
On his part, Governor Mbah said the Light Up Nigeria project has heralded a new dawn for power and industrialization in the South East which would assist in fixing the perennial power challenge in the region.
He commended the Federal Government and the NDPHC for the solution-oriented initiative which would address the industrial needs of the region, making the South East a hub of manufacturing and industrialisation in the country.
According to him, the administration is already speeding efforts to derisk investment flow, make the state attractive to investors through the right infrastructure and environment.
Pix- South East Governors and Shettima
“The programme will certainly bring improved access to affordable power to the South East. This will in turn result in reduced power costs for the productive sector and enable them improve enhanced productivity and generate jobs.
“Therefore, this project aligns completely with our approach to governance in Enugu in the sense that it is a very disruptive initiative, which shows a deep ability to think outside the box. Today’s Nigeria requires a marked departure from business as usual to business unusual,” the governor further stressed.
Speaking on the significance of the project, the MD/CEO of the NDPHC, Chiedu Ugbo, said the initiative is aimed at providing reliable and affordable electricity supply to industries and homes by utilizing underutilized generation capacity.
He stated that the NDPHC was also initiated to establish trade agreements with bulk purchasers of electricity and mobilising investments to address technical, commercial and collection losses in the supply chain.