Uche Cecil Izuora
The Niger Delta Power Holding Company Limited (NDPHC) has renewed efforts to resolve the community and wayleave challenges that have stalled the strategic 330kV Ikot Abasi Transmission Line.
The power infrastructure project was awarded nearly two decades ago but has been delayed due to unresolved issues.
The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of NDPHC, Engr. Jennifer Adighije, during a courtesy visit to the Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Pastor Umo Eno, sought the state government’s intervention to unlock the long-running project and facilitate its completion.
Adighije said the outstanding community and compensation-related issues had become the principal obstacle to the project, which was awarded in 2006 as part of the National Integrated Power Projects (NIPP) programme.
According to her, the last valuation of the outstanding wayleave obligations put the cost of resolving the issues at slightly below N4 billion, even as the project contractor, Anit Energy, has reportedly completed about 90 per cent of the engineering, procurement and construction procurement.
She disclosed that substantial project materials including conductors and tower members worth millions of dollars had already been deployed to the project corridor between Adiasim and Ikot Ekpene, but were currently lying across several communities because of the prolonged impasse.
“We are therefore pleading for your kind intervention as a shareholder and board member of the company,” Adighije told the governor, expressing optimism that his intervention would enable the contractor to return to site and complete the project.
The NDPHC boss said the company’s objective was not merely to revive the project but to commission the long-delayed transmission line before May 29, 2027, subject to the successful resolution of the outstanding issues.
‘We want to be part of your ARISE Agenda’
The NDPHC delegation also commended Governor Eno for the development recorded across Akwa Ibom State, particularly in hospitality, commerce and industry, noting that the expanding investment base would inevitably stimulate electricity demand.
Adighije said NDPHC, as a government interventionist agency and a major backbone of Nigeria’s electricity infrastructure, remained committed to bridging critical gaps across the generation, transmission and distribution segments of the power value chain.
She also congratulated the governor on the establishment of the Akwa Ibom State Electricity Regulatory Commission, disclosing that NDPHC had already commenced engagement with the commission on the development of appropriate electricity-market frameworks for the state.
According to her, the commission had recently visited NDPHC and requested details of projects executed by the company in Akwa Ibom State, with a joint working group now focused on unlocking the potential of those assets and extending electricity access to underserved communities in line with the governor’s ARISE Agenda.
Also speaking during the visit, NDPHC Executive Director, Strategy and Commercial, Hon. Patrick Obahiagbon, congratulated Governor Eno on what he described as the administration’s visible development achievements.
Obahiagbon commended the governor for combining political strength with humility and for navigating the state’s diverse political interests while maintaining stability.
He likened the governor’s approach to “a locomotive engine moving ceaselessly”, noting that the results of his administration’s activities were increasingly becoming visible across the state.
Governor Umo Eno, in response welcomed NDPHC’s initiative and pledged to take the matter before the State Executive Council to determine the appropriate support the state government could provide towards resolving the outstanding issues.
The Governor said the state would examine the matter in detail and explore avenues for intervention to ensure that the long-delayed project moves forward.
The intervention could prove significant for Akwa Ibom’s electricity infrastructure, particularly at a time when the state is seeking to expand industrial, commercial and hospitality investments and strengthen its emerging electricity market.
For NDPHC, however, the immediate priority remains the resolution of the Ikot Abasi transmission-line impasse.
After almost 20 years, the project now stands at a potentially decisive point: with much of the EPC procurement reportedly completed and materials already on site, the company is seeking state-level intervention to settle the outstanding community issues, protect deployed assets and return the contractor to work.
If the intervention succeeds, the long-delayed 330kV Ikot Abasi transmission project could move from a two-decade story of delays to a major addition to the electricity infrastructure serving Akwa Ibom and the wider national grid.