Former Akwa Ibom State Governor Obong Victor Attah has claimed that ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo prevented him from distributing electricity to the state after he constructed a 191-megawatt power generation station.
Attah, who served as governor from May 1999 to May 2007 during Obasanjo’s presidency, stated that the former president directed that the electricity generated from the Akwa Ibom power plant be fed into the national grid instead. He made these remarks as a guest on the Friday edition of Inside Sources with Laolu Akande, a socio-political program aired on Channels Television.
The former governor criticized Nigeria’s current constitutional framework, arguing that a new constitution and federal arrangement would empower federating units rather than relegating them to subordinate roles. “What we have now is an authoritarian system imposed by the military,” he said. “We need to revert to a constitution agreed upon by our founding fathers at Independence.” Attah expressed disappointment that President Bola Tinubu has yet to take steps toward achieving true federalism in Nigeria.
“I aimed to provide power to Akwa Ibom State, but the president insisted that the Federal Government was responsible for electricity provision,” Attah explained. “Despite my success in building the power station and Obasanjo’s initial support, he later enacted a law that prohibited the distribution of generated power.”
Attah lamented that his vision of providing 24-hour electricity to Akwa Ibom remains unfulfilled, stating, “If I had succeeded, other states would likely have followed suit.” He noted that Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala recently advocated for the decentralization of power generation and distribution, a goal he had aimed to achieve but was thwarted by the flawed federal arrangement.
Attah clarified that his affiliation with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) played no role in Obasanjo’s disapproval, asserting, “This is not about party politics; it’s about the non-federal constitution we currently have. If we had a true federal constitution, my efforts would not have been obstructed.”
He emphasized the inefficiencies of the national grid, which continues to struggle with frequent collapses. “Every kobo spent on that power station came from Akwa Ibom funds, yet a faulty constitutional arrangement allowed the president to take control of it,” he said.
Attah praised the recent amendment to the Electricity Act 2023, which has opened the door for states to generate, distribute, and regulate electricity within their jurisdictions. “Our governor, Umo Eno, is now working diligently to establish an Akwa Ibom power company that will generate and distribute electricity to our people,” he noted.
For decades, Nigeria has grappled with severe energy challenges, characterized by inconsistent power supply that hampers productivity. Despite the privatization of the electricity sector, issues such as policy inconsistency, insufficient investment, and operational hurdles persist.
In 2024, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) approved an increase in electricity prices, with costs reaching approximately N250 per unit for Band A customers. The rising prices of alternative energy sources like petrol and diesel have further exacerbated the situation for consumers.
That same year, NERC granted licenses to at least eight state electricity regulatory commissions, allowing them to oversee power plants and distribution. States such as Enugu, Ekiti, Ondo, Imo, Edo, Kogi, Oyo, and Lagos are among those taking steps to democratize the electricity market, a move experts believe is crucial for boosting Nigeria’s industrialization and productivity.
