Gov. Babagana Zulum of Borno has sought the assistance of the Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC) in the construction and rehabilitation of vandalised power infrastructure in the state.
Mr Yakubu Laws, the General Manager, Communication, NDPHC said in a statement in Abuja on Thursday that Zulum made the request when he visited the company’s headquarters.
The governor said that the state had been devastated by the activities of the Boko Haram, saying that the time had come to put those facilities back in operation.
Zulum said that this was necessary so that the people could return to their towns as the population of Maiduguri had been overstretched with influx Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).
He urged NDPHC to rehabilitate the 30 Mega Watts (MW) power distribution plants set up in the 1970s and 80s to provide energy requirement for the Lake Chad area of the state.
Zulum said that the power plants were destroyed by the terrorists.
He said that the state has over two million IDPs, adding that Borno needed more distribution injection substations of 15 Mega Volt Amp (MVA) capacities in several locations across the state.
The governor also requested the NDPHC’s assistance in extending the 132 Kilo Volt lines from Maiduguri to other parts of the state, saying “it is what the people need to boost economic activities is electricity’’.
He said the North East region requested for Kashibilla and Dadin Kowa 40MW hydro power project to be completed.
Zulum said the state was endowed with sunshine of between 12 to 13 hours daily, which could support solar power system in the area and urged NDPHC to come to its aid in that direction.
Earlier, Mr Chiedu Ugbo, the Managing Director of NDPHC commended the governor for the good work he was doing for the Borno people.
Ugbo said that NDPHC had presence in the state with construction of 75MVA distribution injection substation in Lassa and Bama towns.
He said that NDPHC would work with the Yola Electricity Distribution Company under whose jurisdiction Borno fell in addressing the request of the state.
