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Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State, On Friday, put pen to paper, officially enacting the Enugu State Electricity Bill into law.
He hailed this legislative development as a pivotal leap forward in driving economic growth and solidifying the state’s position as the prime destination for investments, commerce, tourism, and residential living.
Addressing the gathering at the Government House Enugu, Mbah emphasised that his administration’s ambition to boost Enugu State’s economy from $4.4 billion to $30 billion would remain an elusive goal without a reliable and consistent power supply, underscoring the necessity of the Electricity Law, which was submitted to the House of Assembly about two weeks ago.
Mbah also expressed his appreciation for the prompt approval of the Bill by the House of Assembly and commended their collaborative efforts with the government, transcending party lines, all in the best interest of Enugu State.
‘As you know, following the Constitutional Amendment and the Electricity Act of 2023, electricity is now on the concurrent list. This will now enable us to play in all the value chain of the electricity industry.’
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‘So, Enugu State has spared no time in making sure that we create our own electricity market. That is the crux of this law.’
‘We are now able to play in the generation, transmission, and distribution segments of the electricity market.’
‘We are also, through our regulatory commission, which this Law has given us power to create, going to be able to regulate the activities of these players – the generation, transmission, and distribution companies that will flow from it.’
‘So, this is a significant and very important Law towards the achievement of the Enugu of our dreams because the development and growth of Enugu will all be predicated on the platter that this law has created. You cannot talk about industry or private sector investment if you don’t have electricity or power.’
‘Enugu, under our administration, is designed and indeed prepared to be the premier destination for investment and this law is part of the enablers.’
‘Therefore, we thank Members of the Enugu State House of Assembly for the expeditious way they treated this Bill, which has become Law today by this assent’, the governor stated.
The signing ceremony had in attendance the Deputy Speaker, Hon. Ezenta Ezeani, representing the Speaker of the Enugu State House of Assembly, Hon. Uchenna Ugwu, along with Dr. Kinsley Udeh, the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, as well as Prof. Chidiebere Onyia, the Secretary to the State Government, among other prominent state officials.
