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Nigeria: FG, State Govts Set Aside $5.2b to Arrest Power Situation
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Vanguard (Lagos)
19 June 2008
Posted to the web 19 June 2008
Peter Duru
Lagos
Bothered by the epileptic power supply situation in the country and in a frantic move to get the situation arrested the Federal and state governments have decided to pull together a total sum of $5.2b to tackle the pitiable yet embarrassing state of affairs in that sector.
Governor Gabriel Suswam of Benue State disclosed this while playing host to a team from the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology led by Dr. Umar Birnby, the Director Technology Acquisition and Assessment in that Ministry.
The Governor who was reacting to the concept of the establishment of technology parks in the country by the Federal Government in six states of the federation stressed that the decision of the governments to arrest the appalling energy situation in the country was borne out of the desire of all stakeholders in the Nigerian project to ensure that the power situation in the country is tackled frontally.
He asserted that the dream of making the country one of the first 20 economies and developed countries of the world would amount to a tall dream if the energy situation is not tackled from the roots. Mr. Suswam noted further that his administration has embarked on the comprehensive development of basic infrastructures in the state in order to ensure that the 2020 dream and vision of the Federal Government which also is in consonance with his government's working documents as encapsulated in the 'Our Benue Our Future' vision is manifested in Benue State.
He called on all stakeholders in the Nigerian dream to remain objective and optimistic in the realization of the set goals and objectives of the present administration, saying that his administration is the first to provide a location for the industrial park which was ceded to the state in the North Central zone of the country because of the due importance he attaches to infrastructural development matters. He noted that his administration only recently signed a N500m MoU with the Industrial Development Bank for the development of the state's industrial layout, an idea borne out of his desire to emulate what he saw in Singapore in order to turn around the industrial base of his state.
Governor Suswam pledged to look into the creation of a Ministry for Science and Technology for the state as requested by the delegation to make it easier for that sector to witness an accelerated development and better coordination of related matters by designated government officials. Earlier in his remark, the leader of the delegation had intimated the governor on the reasons for their visit which include the assessment of the government readiness to host the Federal Government's initiated zonal technology parks ceded to Benue State in the North Central Zone of the country.
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He lamented the fact that in time past so much was said of the industrial development centres established by past government which in reality actually failed because most of the equipment for that programme had remained in containers for up to 20 years without action.
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