The Abia State Government has disclosed that it has submitted a bid to acquire 60 per cent of the assets of the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company as part of plans to improve power supply in Umuahia and other surrounding Local Government Areas.
Commissioner for Information, Prince Okey Kanu, made the announcement during a press briefing on the outcomes of this week’s State Executive Council meeting. He explained that the move is one of several efforts by the administration of Governor Alex Otti to fast-track the development of the state.
Kanu stated that negotiations for the acquisition had reached an advanced stage and added that “the process of ring-fencing eight LGAs in Abia Central and Abia North is ongoing.”
In a related development, Kanu revealed that the Abia State Government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with MTN Nigeria Limited to execute a comprehensive digital transformation project across the state.
He said the agreement is the result of several months of negotiations between Abia State officials and the management of MTN Nigeria, and will cover six key areas.
According to him, the strategic objectives include “100 per cent coverage of the population and space of the entire state with broadband access before end of 2025; provision of 4G and 5G services in Aba, Umuahia and Ohafia; and device ownership scheme for Abia civil servants (a situation whereby MTN will finance the acquisition of laptops, smartphones, and Wi-Fi devices for civil servants).”
Other components of the partnership are the introduction of digital governance through “provision of cloud services and dedicated cloud computing service”; the establishment of an Abia Digital Mall; and “provision of a digital marketplace to drive both e-governance and e-commerce in the state.”
Kanu stressed that the initiative would enable Abia to “leverage technology to drive socio-economic growth.”
On his part, the Commissioner for Power and Public Utilities, Ikechukwu Monday, announced that Abia is among the pilot states selected for the Solar-for-Health Power Project, an initiative sponsored by the European Union. He said the project will be launched within a week.
According to him, the EU will contribute 70 per cent of the required funding—amounting to 2 million Euros—while Abia State will provide the remaining 30 per cent as counterpart funding. He explained that the project would “light up a minimum of nine health facilities across the state.”
Meanwhile, the General Manager of the Abia State Environmental Protection Agency, Mr Ogbonnia Okereke, revealed several developments in the state’s waste management efforts. He announced the commencement of door-to-door waste collection in parts of Aba and Umuahia, and street-to-street collection in areas of Abia North.
He noted that the new approach has been well-received by residents and has even drawn praise from Abians in the diaspora.
Okereke further disclosed that ASEPA is working on converting animal dung from the Lokpanta cattle market into biogas to be used for roasting animals, providing an alternative to the hazardous use of tyres. “The initiative would become an alternative to the use of tyres to roast animals as the practice has grave health implications,” he said.
He also mentioned that the agency has started recycling waste into other useful products, and that the abattoirs in Lokpanta and Uzuakoli have been renovated and reopened after previously being shut down for failing to meet hygienic standards.
“As ASEPA moves from waste conversion and recycling into a circular economy of waste as opposed to a linear economy, they have signed an MoU with a firm that possesses both international and extensive local experience in this area,” Okereke added.
In the realm of sports, the Commissioner for Information lauded Abia Warriors Football Club for their recent success in the Nigerian Professional Football League, stating that their qualification for continental competition was a direct result of the support received from Governor Otti.
“Abia Warriors have broken the jinx and qualified to play continental football for the first time. With one more match to go in the current Nigerian Professional Football League, Abia Warriors are on the verge of playing in the CAF Confederation Cup in the next football season,” Kanu said.
