The Niger Delta Power Holding Company Limited (NDPHC) has renewed efforts to complete the 330kV Ikot Abasi Transmission Line in Akwa Ibom State, nearly two decades after the project was awarded under the National Integrated Power Projects (NIPP) programme.
The company is seeking the intervention of the Akwa Ibom State Government to resolve outstanding community, compensation and wayleave issues that have stalled the project, with the NDPHC targeting May 2027 for its commissioning if the challenges are successfully addressed.
Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of NDPHC, Engr. Jennifer Adighije, made the appeal during a courtesy visit to Governor Umo Eno, where she disclosed that the outstanding obligations were last valued at slightly below N4bn.
Adighije said resolving the issues would enable the contractor, Anit Energy, to return to site and complete the project, which was awarded in 2006.
According to her, substantial progress has already been made on the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) component of the project, with the contractor reportedly having completed about 90 per cent of the procurement process.
She said significant project materials, including conductors and tower members worth millions of dollars, had already been deployed along the project corridor between Adiasim and Ikot Ekpene but remained stranded across various communities because of the unresolved wayleave and community-related issues.
“We are therefore pleading for your kind intervention as a shareholder and board member of the company,” Adighije told the governor.
She expressed optimism that the state government’s intervention would help resolve the outstanding issues, facilitate the contractor’s return to site and accelerate the completion of the long-delayed transmission infrastructure.
Adighije said NDPHC’s immediate objective was to ensure that the project, which has remained outstanding for almost 20 years, is completed and commissioned before May 29, 2027, subject to the resolution of the outstanding challenges.
The completion of the transmission line is expected to strengthen electricity transmission infrastructure in Akwa Ibom and improve the capacity of the power network to support economic activities and rising electricity demand across the state.
The NDPHC chief executive also linked the project to the growing investment activities in Akwa Ibom, particularly in the hospitality, commercial and industrial sectors.
She said the state’s expanding economic base would require corresponding improvements in electricity infrastructure and reliable power supply.
Adighije said NDPHC, as a government interventionist company and a major participant in Nigeria’s electricity infrastructure development, remained committed to addressing critical gaps across the generation, transmission and distribution segments of the electricity value chain.
She also commended Governor Eno for the establishment of the Akwa Ibom State Electricity Regulatory Commission, saying the development would provide a framework for deepening electricity-sector activities in the state.
According to her, NDPHC had commenced engagements with the commission on the development of appropriate electricity-market frameworks for Akwa Ibom.
She disclosed that officials of the state electricity regulatory commission had recently visited NDPHC and requested information on projects executed by the company in the state.
She said a joint working group had subsequently been established to examine ways of unlocking the potential of NDPHC’s existing assets in Akwa Ibom and extending electricity access to underserved communities.
The initiative, she added, was consistent with the state government’s ARISE Agenda and NDPHC’s mandate to support improvements in electricity infrastructure and access.
Also speaking during the visit, NDPHC Executive Director, Strategy and Commercial, Hon. Patrick Obahiagbon, commended Governor Eno for the development recorded across Akwa Ibom.
Obahiagbon described the administration’s activities as increasingly visible across the state and said NDPHC was interested in supporting initiatives capable of strengthening the state’s economic and electricity infrastructure.
Responding, Governor Eno welcomed the NDPHC initiative and pledged to present the Ikot Abasi project before the State Executive Council for consideration.
He said the state government would examine the outstanding issues and determine the appropriate intervention required to facilitate the completion of the project.
The governor’s commitment is expected to provide a pathway for renewed discussions with affected communities and other stakeholders over the outstanding wayleave and compensation obligations.
The Ikot Abasi transmission project is part of the NIPP infrastructure programme designed to strengthen Nigeria’s electricity transmission network and improve the evacuation and distribution of available power.
Its prolonged delay has, however, left substantial project materials deployed along the corridor exposed to the consequences of prolonged inactivity, while the transmission infrastructure itself remains incomplete.
NDPHC’s latest intervention therefore places renewed emphasis on resolving the non-technical and community-related challenges that have prevented the contractor from completing the project.
With most of the EPC procurement reportedly completed and key materials already available along the project corridor, the company is now looking to the state government to help unlock the outstanding wayleave issues and create the conditions for construction activities to resume.
If the outstanding challenges are resolved as planned, the completion of the 330kV Ikot Abasi Transmission Line by May 2027 would mark a significant step towards closing a power infrastructure gap that has persisted for nearly two decades and strengthening electricity supply infrastructure in Akwa Ibom State.
(The Whistler)
