Mohammed Shosanya
The Managing Director of Ibom Power Company, Engr. Meyen Etukudo,has emphasized the need for professionals with technical expertise to manage Nigeria’s power sector.
He said the technical sector needs a complete set of expects to ensure its functionality across stages and departments .
He told newsmen on Thursday,that proper design and operation of power stations—whether hydro, steam, thermal, or other types—requires the involvement of individuals with specialized knowledge and experience.
According to him,unless experts are appointed to key positions within the sector, Nigeria will continue to experience suboptimal performance and recurring power failures.
He added that the presence of such experts in strategic positions would have checked the lack of a spinning reserve—a fundamental component for ensuring stability in power generation systems in all power stations across the country.
He said: “How many power stations in Nigeria have spinning reserves?” Etukudo questioned. “This is why our systems are collapsing so frequently. For instance, Ibom Power should have a spinning reserve, with one unit on standby generating 90 megawatts while others are under maintenance, and the remaining units running.
“The moment we understand the importance of placing the right professionals in the right roles, we will begin to see improvements in Nigeria’s power sector. It is crucial that accountants, lawyers, engineers, and other professionals are assigned responsibilities based on their areas of expertise. You cannot expect effective management of the power sector if you put someone with an unrelated background in charge.”
He also highlighted the specific challenges in Akwa Ibom State, where power outages have been exacerbated by the collapse of a conductor linking Aba in Abia State to Itu in Akwa Ibom State. This conductor which carries 80 megawatts of power, was built in 1978 and has been in service for over 46 years. Due to lack of maintenance and renewal, it is prone to frequent snapping and failure.
“The Federal Government’s Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) needs to replace this outdated conductor with one of the same capacity or with a lighter alternative that can carry up to 160 megawatts. Without addressing the issue of old turbines and upgrading the infrastructure, these problems will persist”,Etukudo advised
He called for the expansion of the Ibom Power Station’s capacity to 250 or 300 megawatts to meet the growing economic demands of the state.
He acknowledged that while Ibom Power focuses on power generation, the distribution of electricity—managed by the Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company—faces its own challenges, including ‘earth faults, which prevent the smooth transmission of power from the grid, requiring time-consuming troubleshooting and repairs.