The recent four-day power outage in Akwa Ibom has led to a blame game between Ibom Power Limited, the state-owned power company, and its gas supplier, Accugas Limited, a subsidiary of Savannah Energy.
Engr. Meyen Etukudoh, former Managing Director of Ibom Power Company, blamed Accugas for withholding gas supply due to unpaid debts, which he claimed was done intentionally to sabotage the state government’s efforts. Etukudoh’s statement sparked controversy, leading to his dismissal by the Akwa Ibom State Government, although the reasons for his firing were not officially stated. Some view his dismissal as premature and a form of victimization, while others argue it was necessary to prevent the MD from publicly embarrassing the governor.
While gas supply was briefly interrupted due to payment issues, Savannah Energy has since resumed supply. However, the plants were unable to restart due to their poor condition.
Accugas responded by denying the claims and attributing the outage to a fault in the 132 KVA Aba-Itu Transmission Line, which disrupted power transmission from the National Grid into the state. Okwudili Onyia, Accugas’ Communications Manager, clarified that Accugas has been the sole gas supplier to Ibom Power since 2014 and has invested over US$1.5 billion in gas development in Akwa Ibom.
Power has since been restored in the state, but the dispute between the two companies continues to fuel tension over the cause of the power disruption.
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