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By: Bethel Toby
A rare bright in spot in Nigeria’s energy crisis emerges as President Bola Tinubu commissioned Afam II Power Plant recently.
In a country plagued by power outages and failing infrastructure, the commissioning of the Afam II Power Plant is being commended by a prominent scientist in Rivers State, Engr Cecilia Desmond Akaya, as a step in the right direction.
Nigeria has struggled with less than 5,000 mega watts for over 200 million people.
It will be recalled that previous administrations promised reforms, but delivery remained weak. Afam II Power Plant is part of a broader push to revamp power generation in the country.
Speaking with Our Correspondent in Port Harcourt on the significance of the project, Engr Cecilia Akaya described the move made by President Bola Tinubu to give hope to Nigerians through the completion of the all-important milestone, as a welcome development.
She stressed that this shows President Bola Tinubu administration’s willingness to complete such a legacy project.
Engr Cecilia Akaya, a Federal Polytechnic, Nekede, Owerri- trained Computer Scientist, noted that the important aspect of the project is distribution challenges, which she said, needs proper attention and action by the government.
According to her, “Generation without stable transmission and billing reforms will still limit impact.
“Questions remain on long-term maintenance and transparency. I, therefore, cautioned that generation is only one piece of the puzzle which government should attach importance on,” Engr Cecilia Akaya advocated.
Concerning the outcome of the event, Engr Cecilia Akaya applauded the move, but wants more reliability, stressing that, it is a welcome development, which remains skeptical.
On lasting solutions to the problem of distribution of electricity to Nigerians, Akaya calls for the decentralization of the national grid system, to allow for regional mini-grids.
Engr Cecilia Akaya further urged government to ensure public-private partnerships for long-term maintenance.
“Afam II Power Plant is a step forward, but Nigeria needs systematic reforms to make such wins impactful. Power is restored, but the question remains: “Can it be sustained?”, Engr Cecilia Akaya queried.
