Bayelsa, NCDMB sign power supply agreement
The Bayelsa State Government and the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) on Wednesday entered into a purchase agreement to ensure regular power supply to the Government House complex in Yenagoa and environs.
NCDMB operates a 10-megawatt gas-powered independent plant located at Elebele in Ogbia Local Government Area of the state.
At the signing ceremony inside the Executive Council Chambers of the Government House, Governor Douye Diri described power as crucial to the development of any society.
He noted that the state was blessed with abundant gas resources, which had been largely under-utilised, stressing that his administration was determined to use the resources of the state for the benefit of the people.
The governor in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Daniel Alabrah, said the importance of power cannot be over-emphasised as it has the capacity to improve the economic fortunes of any society.
Diri appreciated the NCDMB management and other partners that made the agreement possible, saying it was a sign of good things to come.
He called on private investors to explore the abundance of natural gas in the state, saying the government was ready to partner with such investors to make power and other amenities available to the people.
Diri said, “We have taken bold steps and today is one of the manifestations with this agreement. I call on private investors to explore the abundance of gas resources in the state. We are ready to partner with them. My administration is poised to provide power to light up Bayelsa State.”
In his remarks, the NCDMB Executive Secretary, Mr Simbi Wabote, said the event marked the formal execution of the power purchase project.
He described the agreement as a major milestone given the importance of power to government and the state at larger, noting that with the agreement it is clear the state can enjoy an uninterrupted power supply given its huge gas deposits.
Wabote said, Bayelsa has the capacity to produce 1.5million standard cubic feet of gas daily as the state with perhaps the highest gas deposit in the country.
