By CHARLES IWUOHA

The Abia State Government has submitted a bid to acquire 60% of the assets of the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC) to boost power distribution in Umuahia, the state capital, and other adjoining local government areas.

The Commissioner for Information, Prince Okey Kanu, who disclosed this during a press briefing on the outcome of this week?s State Executive Council meeting, said the move was part of efforts by the Governor Alex Otti-led administration to fast-track development of the state.

Kanu, who said negotiations for the 60% acquisition of EEDC assets had reached an advanced stage, added that the process of ring-fencing eight LGAs in Abia Central and Abia North is ongoing.

Similarly, the commissioner announced that the state government had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with MTN Nigeria Limited for a digital transformation of the state covering six key areas.

According to him, the strategic partnership between the state and MTN Nigeria is the outcome of several months of negotiations between Abia State Government officials and the management of MTN.

The commissioner identified the key areas as100% coverage of the population and space of the entire state with broadband access before the end of 2025; provision of 4G and 5G services in Aba, Umuahia, and Ohafia; and a device ownership scheme for Abia civil servants (a situation whereby MTN will finance the acquisition of laptops, smartphones, and Wi-Fi devices for civil servants).

Others include digital governance (provision of cloud services and dedicated cloud computing service), establishment of Abia Digital Mall, and provision of a digital marketplace to drive both e-governance and e-commerce in the state.

The commissioner explained that the partnership would help the state to leverage technology to drive socio-economic growth. Contributing, the Commissioner for Power and Public Utilities, Ikechukwu Monday, announced that Abia state is among the pilot states for the Solar-for-Health-Power Project, an EU-sponsored project, which he said would be launched in a week?s time.

According to him, the EU will bring 70% financing, amounting to 2 million euros, while Abia State will pay a counterpart funding of 30%.He noted that the project, when launched, would light up a minimum of nine health facilities across the state.

Contributing also, the General Manager of Abia State Environmental Protection Agency (ASEPA), Mr. Ogbonnia Okereke, said the agency had commenced door-to-door collection of waste in some parts of Aba, Umuahia, and street-to-street collections in some parts of Abia North.

The initiative, according to him, is part of the efforts to keep the state clean, adding that it has elicited joy among residents and commendations from Abians in the diaspora. He said that ASEPA was on the verge of converting animal dung at the Lokpanta cattle market into biogas for roasting animals.

The ASEPA boss said the initiative would become an alternative to the use of tyres to roast animals, as the practice has grave health implications. He also said that the agency had commenced recycling waste into other products.

He further said that the abattoirs in Lokpanta and Uzuakoli had been renovated and reopened after they were shut down following their poor hygienic conditions. ?As ASEPA moves from waste conversion and recycling into a circular economy of waste as opposed to a linear economy, they have signed an MoU with a firm that possesses both international and extensive local experience in this area.

Meanwhile, the Commissioner for Information has commended Abia Warriors Football Club for qualifying for continental competition, saying it is a reflection of the massive support by the Governor.

?Abia Warriors have broken the jinx and qualified to play continental football for the first time. With one more match to go in the current Nigerian Professional Football League, Abia Warriors are on the verge of playing in the CAF Confederation Cup in the next football season,? he said.

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