Akwa Ibom State Government has pledged to intervene in unresolved community and compensation issues that have kept the 330kV National Integrated Power Project (NIPP) Lot 18 transmission line unfinished for about two decades.

The commitment, according to Governor Umo Eno, is driven by the potential of the Ikot Ekpe-Ikot Abasi transmission project to strengthen electricity supply and support wider economic development across the state.

Eno made the commitment when a delegation of the Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC), led by its Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Jennifer Adighije, visited him at the Government House, Uyo.

The governor said the state was prepared to support efforts to remove the obstacles delaying the project, stressing that its completion would not only benefit electricity consumers in Akwa Ibom but also contribute to the development of Nigeria’s power infrastructure.

The NIPP Lot 18 project has, however, remained stalled largely because affected communities are yet to receive outstanding wayleave compensation for portions of land impacted by the transmission line.

Adighije told the governor that the compensation dispute and related community concerns had become major impediments to completing a project that began approximately 20 years ago.

She said the NDPHC delegation came to present the challenges to the state government and seek its intervention in resolving the outstanding issues, which have continued to frustrate the project’s completion.

Beyond the transmission line, the meeting also opened the way for deeper cooperation between Akwa Ibom and the NDPHC following the establishment of the Akwa Ibom State Electricity Regulatory Commission (AKSERC).

Adighije congratulated the governor on the regulatory initiative and expressed the NDPHC’s readiness to work with AKSERC towards building an effective electricity market framework capable of supporting the state’s emerging power sector.