Dream of making Calabar, the capital of Cross River State, the first city in the country to enjoy 24-hour uninterrupted power supply edged closer to reality, at the weekend, as the 23 megawatts power plant built by Governor Ben Ayade began to evacuate power to the city.
Ayade, who was on hand to witness the feat, described it as the fulfilment of a dream. The governor said the project like others, was not only borne out of passion, but simply a response to a divine calling.
“Cross Riverians can see my passion has not changed. I wasn’t doing this project because I was seeking re-election. I was doing what I was doing because I believed that that was what God brought me here to do. I am happy.
“Today, I’m excited because it is the first time we are evacuating power to the public. My office has enjoyed steady power supply since the power evacuation started.
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“So interestingly, Calabar will be the first city to have uninterrupted power supply even as we get ready to commission our Calabar Smart City project that will also make it the first smart city in the country,” he said.
He said the completion of the power plant shows that “the spirit of commitment was, indeed, stronger than any amount of money, because I don’t know where Cross River would have got $25 million to put up the plant with all that it required,” he said.
Governor Ayade assured the residents that the cost of electricity from the plant will be affordable as, according to him, Cross River will encourage the Federal Government to give her a discount to pay 22 percent of the cost of running the plant.
Samson Oyedeyi
