Cross River partners NIEEE to boost power sector
11 August 2024 |
3:41 pm
The Cross River State government has declared its readiness to partner with the Nigerian Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (NIEEE) to bring about the long-desired positive changes in the electricity sector. READ ALSO:NIEEE blames poor power supply for economic challenges This partnership has become essential as issues of electricity supply in Nigeria continue to…
The Cross River State government has declared its readiness to partner with the Nigerian Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (NIEEE) to bring about the long-desired positive changes in the electricity sector.
This partnership has become essential as issues of electricity supply in Nigeria continue to burden citizens, with NIEEE identifying quackery as one of the challenges in the power sector.
Speaking at the inauguration ceremony of the 2nd Calabar Chapter Chairman and 2024 Executive Committee of the Institute in Calabar over the weekend, the state governor, Senator Bassey Otu, stressed that the power sector is an essential part of economic growth in any society.
Governor Otu, represented by the Commissioner for Power and Renewable Energy, Prince Eka Williams, congratulated the newly inaugurated NIEEE Chairman and his Executive Committee, noting that the state government is committed to partnering with the Institute to bring about change in the electrical sector.
“NIEEE has shown that they are willing to assist the state in terms of manpower development, formulation of policies, and planning for the future. We had a very robust discussion. It is very good.
“That is part of why I have come here, not only to talk about it on paper, but let’s also try to practicalize it. And I’m very happy with the new chairman, and even the President, they are experts in electrical engineering. We agreed jointly to bring about change in the electrical sector,” he said.
Speaking in an interview with The Guardian, shortly after the event, with the theme, “Effective Leadership: A Panacea for Electric Power Sustainability,” the National President of NIEEE, Felix Olu, said one of the challenges in the power sector is the prevalence of quackery within the profession.
While disagreeing with the Guest Speaker, he stated that leadership is not the sole problem facing the sector, noting that quackery has been a major threat.
Olu said, “One of the challenges in the electricity sector is that there are a lot of quacks; it needs reform.
“This problem in the power sector is not new to us; it’s just that it’s not going away. We have been dealing with it for a very long time. Most recently, we did three different tests towards contributing our quota, and like the guest speaker today mentioned, all the problems are about leadership, but it’s not 100 percent leadership.
“The National President disclosed that the institute had met with the National Assembly, calling for a law to distinguish a quack from an authentic practitioner, which was eventually passed.
Also speaking, the newly elected Chairman, Kazeem Ojikutu, said his team would be partnering with the state government to address some of these issues at the state level.
Ojikutu, who was inaugurated alongside his Vice Chairman, Obasi-Sam Ojobe, and other Executive Committee members, further noted that with the establishment of the Chartered Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineering (CIEEN), the practice of quackery would be reduced to the barest minimum.
“We have revived the engagement in the past few days on how we can improve the power sector in Cross River, most importantly in Calabar metropolis. So luckily for us, we are coming in when the Federal Government has given licences, meaning that the power sector has been domesticated. We have seen it done in other states like Edo.
“A couple of months ago, we saw what happened in Abia and Lagos states too. We have actually sold this idea to the state government and discussed how we will synergize and partner with the state,” the chairman assured.
Related
10 mins ago
In a race against potential disaster, operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) are working tirelessly to disperse a crowd of youths scooping fuel from an overturned tanker at Mile 6 Market in Jalingo, the capital of Taraba State. The tanker accident occurred around 11:45 a.m. at the Mile 6 Roundabout near…
45 mins ago
The Police Command in Delta has apprehended a robbery/kidnap suspect in Agbarho Community, Ughelli North Local Government Area of the state. The spokesman of the command, SP Bright Edafe disclosed this to newsmen on Wednesday in Warri. Edafe said that the suspect was arrested on Friday by police operatives attached to the Agbarho Division, following…
51 mins ago
Operatives of the Lagos State Police Command have arrested Kingsley Wanogho, a 42-year-old dismissed soldier, for abduction and theft. Wanogho abandoned his victim on the Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos after carting away his iPhone 13. According to the police, Wanogho is a dismissed army sergeant who claimed he was still in service. "The suspect,…
55 mins ago
The Chief Executive Officer of a Calabar-based marine transportation and operations firm, Sea Express Transit Ltd., Mr Thompson Eja, has called for a review of the Value Added Tax (VAT) policy as it concerns water transportation in the country. Eja, who spoke in a chat with journalists in Calabar on Wednesday about the company's…
1 hour ago
Youth-led advocacy body, AdvoKC Foundation, has called on the National Assembly to prioritise the health sector by allocating at least 15% of the 2025 national budget to health, in alignment with the Abuja Declaration. The civic tech organisation stated that despite the commitment in the Revised Legislative Agenda of the 10th Assembly of the House…
1 hour ago
The Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG), on Wednesday, rejected the recent 50% hike in telecommunications tariffs approved by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), describing it as an assault on the already strained livelihoods of Nigerians. The coalition stressed that the tariff increase, introduced amidst widespread economic hardship marked by hyperinflation, unemployment, and poverty, demonstrates a…
1 hour ago
Operatives of the Imo State Police Command have arrested a 35-year-old businesswoman, Edith Nwachukwu, for battering her 13-year-old house help, Kelechi Ejieke. The suspect was arrested on Tuesday evening by operatives of the Owerri Urban Divisional Police Headquarters after the minor was rescued from her at the popular Relief Market in Owerri, the state capital.…
1 hour ago
The Governing Council of the Nigerian Bar Association Young Lawyers Forum (NBA-YLF) has appointed Barr. Fortune Toma, a legislative aide to the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, as the Chairman of its 34-member Energy and Sustainability Committee. Toma is also a prominent energy policy practitioner. In a statement signed by the…
1 hour ago
Russia said Wednesday it had taken control of a village in Ukraine's northeastern Kharkiv region, a westward push that is piling additional pressure on Ukrainian forces across the sprawling front line. The defence ministry said in a statement that its forces had taken the village of Zapadne on the western bank of the Oskil River,…
1 hour ago
Traders at Orie Mpu market in Mpu, Aninri Local Government Area, Enugu, burst into wild celebrations on Wednesday as news filtered in about the release of the wife of the former Deputy President of the Senate, Beatrice Ekweremadu. Ekweremadu hails from the Mpu autonomous community. Beatrice and her husband, Ike, had been jailed in the…
×
Get the latest news delivered straight to your inbox every day of the week. Stay informed with the Guardian’s leading coverage of Nigerian and world news, business, technology and sports.
0 Comments
We will review and take appropriate action.