…Pledges to partner REA
By Adewale Sanyaolu
Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, has given his administration 14 days to resolve delays that have stalled the state’s renewable energy partnership with the Rural Electrification Agency (REA), declaring that Abia can no longer afford to lag behind in the deployment of clean energy.
Otti issued the deadline on Thursday when he received a high-level delegation from the REA, the Ministry of Finance Incorporated (MOFI), and the Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas and Electric Vehicles (PI-CNG & EV) at the Government House, Umuahia.
The governor acknowledged that Abia had yet to make the expected progress in renewable energy deployment despite its huge potential, but pledged to move swiftly to activate existing agreements with the federal agency.
“Just watch us and see what will happen in the next 14 days,” Otti told the delegation, adding that the presentation provided data his administration would use to accelerate action on the projects.
“You can be sure that you will hear from us within the next 14 days, and the lowest-hanging fruit is this initiative covering ten states,” he said.
Otti also directed that a state focal person be appointed immediately to improve coordination between Abia and the REA and remove bureaucratic bottlenecks delaying the projects.
The development comes as the REA ramps up the deployment of renewable energy infrastructure nationwide, with its Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Abba Aliyu, disclosing that the agency is currently deploying 1,000 mini-grids across various states.
Aliyu said the agency had mapped communities across the country to identify areas requiring rural electrification, stressing that REA was ready to support Abia once the state demonstrated the necessary commitment.
According to him, an initial Memorandum of Understanding signed between the agency and Abia State last year had been delayed, but the REA remained prepared to move forward with the partnership.
The governor, meanwhile, pointed to Abia’s ongoing rollout of pioneer electric buses as evidence of the state’s emerging commitment to cleaner energy, saying the initiative had already begun yielding positive results.
The meeting was attended by the Principal Secretary to the Governor and Chief Strategy Officer, Chinenye Mba-Uzoukwu, as well as members of the Abia State Executive Council.
(The Sun)