•Governor Umo Eno
For years, Akwa Ibom has lived in paradox: a state rich in hydrocarbons and gas reserves, home to Ibom Power Plant, yet struggled to guarantee its people steady electricity.
Until recently, however, states had little room to chart their own course. Power was tightly held at the federal level, leaving sub-nationals with vision but no authority. That changed with the Electricity Act of 2023, which finally opened the door for states to take control of their own electricity futures.
Governor Eno is determined to seize that chance. In the week leading to the Summit, he personally joined stakeholders at the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) Roundtable in Abuja, where Akwa Ibom signed a landmark Memorandum of Understanding on renewable energy penetration, a step that underscored his commitment to blending vision with concrete action.
At the maiden Akwa Ibom Electricity Summit held at Four Points by Sheraton, Ikot Ekpene, with the theme “Attaining Energy Security and Universal Access for Akwa Ibom State within the Framework of the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry,” he lifted a promise as bold as sunrise: By 2034, every household in the state will enjoy reliable electricity.
“We are blessed with gas, and we have a power plant, yet our people still live with epileptic supply,” the governor told the gathering. “These are hard questions, but we must dare to ask them. And we must act.”
The reforms he announced are sweeping. A State Electricity Regulatory Commission will be created to ensure fair tariffs and transparent licensing.
An Electrification Agency will extend supply to communities too long left in darkness.
Ibom Power, long underperforming, is to be rehabilitated and commercialised.
A state distribution company will be born. Citizens will be protected by a Consumer Bill of Rights. And not less than 20 percent of future supply will come from clean energy sources — solar farms, renewables, electric buses, and compressed natural gas.
Gov. Eno’s electricity development pursuit in the state is not a flight-by-night initiative. It is firmly embedded in Aspiration 3 of the ARISE Agenda, which clearly sets out “to ensure the provision of uninterrupted electricity supply to homes, businesses, and industries in the State.”
The Summit therefore represents not just policy talk, but the translation of a campaign blueprint into a governance framework.
The plan is the most comprehensive electricity reform yet attempted by a Nigerian sub-national. It dares to take power out of the stranglehold of a federal monopoly and bring it closer to the people. It seeks not just to light homes, but to electrify factories, power schools, energize hospitals, and make businesses less dependent on noisy, costly diesel generators.
The summit itself drew an impressive constellation of voices.
The Deputy Governor, Senator Akon Eyakenyi, who chaired the State’s Electricity Summit Committee, set the tone in her welcome, urging participants not to “talk for talk’s sake,” but to align politics, policy, and investment with technical and financial reforms.
The federal government, represented by the Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, through his Chief Technical Adviser, Mr. Adedayo Olowoniyi, pledged support.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Abbas Tajudeen, represented by the Chairman, House Committee on Power, Hon. Victor Nwokolo, hailed Governor Eno’s courage and foresight.
There were also commissioners representing the governors of Enugu, Abia, Cross River, and Bayelsa states; the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, represented by AVM E. E. Effiong; the Managing Director of the Rural Electrification Agency, Abba Aliyu, who spoke on expanding access; and international experts like Eyo Ekpo, Team Leader of the UK Nigeria Infrastructure Advisory Facility, who outlined five critical priorities for credible reforms.
A defining feature of the Summit was the collective participation of the entire Akwa Ibom State Executive Council for the full two days. Their presence underscored that the electricity reform drive is not just the governor’s agenda, but a shared government mandate.
At the close of deliberations, the Secretary to the State Government, Prince Enobong Uwah, read the Communiqué, which captured in detail the resolutions, timelines, and commitments arising from the historic engagement.
Senator Ekong Sampson, speaking for Akwa Ibom stakeholders, pledged legislative backing, while the governor touched hearts by acknowledging Ms. Ekemini Umoh, an Akwa Ibom daughter who flew in from Europe to contribute to the deliberations.
Still, many seasoned voices at the summit sounded a note of caution. They reminded participants that in Nigeria, the electricity game has long been 90 percent politics and only 10 percent real commitment. For reforms to succeed, therefore, the political will must endure beyond declarations, while technical and financial discipline remain non-negotiable.
Yet vision must wrestle with reality. 2034 is a decade away. Skepticism is natural in a country where projects rarely outlive the administrations that birth them. This is why the governor has also set short-term deliverables: rehabilitation of Ibom Power, rollout of the electrification plan, licensing of new players, enforcement of consumer rights — all within two years.
Electricity is not grammar. It is light in sockets, machines humming in factories, cold rooms running without diesel, children studying without smoke stinging their eyes.
What makes Eno’s approach distinct is his tone. He insists recruitment will be professional, free of political patronage. He frames reforms as partnerships, not decrees —drawing in the federal government, investors, and international partners. That sincerity may explain why the summit drew such broad participation and endorsements.
But sincerity alone will not power homes. Competence, ruthless accountability, and citizen responsibility will. Infrastructure must be protected from vandalism, tariffs must be fair but paid, and providers must deliver on their promises. The governor is right: government cannot do it alone.
For now, a candle has been lit in Akwa Ibom. How it grows into a steady flame will depend on the next 24 months. If milestones are met, the dream of 2034 may indeed come within reach. If they are missed, hope will dim, and the paradox will remain.
The people of Akwa Ibom deserve more than promises. They deserve power — steady, affordable, and fair. And as the Governor himself said, only when the state is truly electrified will Akwa Ibom rise and stand tall together, no longer in shadow but in light fulfilled.
When the milestones of today mature into the power lines of tomorrow, then Akwa Ibom will not just rise, it will shine.
*Aniekan Umanah writes from Abak, Akwa Ibom State
30/9/25
