………as Bill Scales Second Reading.
By Tekena Amakiri.
The Cross River State Electricity Bill 2025 enjoyed an overwhelming show of support, among lawmakers on the floor of the Cross River State House of Assembly during its presentation by the lead sponsor of the bill and leader of the 10th assembly Rt Hon. Francis Bassey Asuquo.
The Bill, which called for a Law to repeal the CRS Electricity Agency Law 2007 and enact, in its place, the proposed CRS Electricity Law 2025, will make for the creation and administration of the State’s Electricity Market as well as see the establishment of a Regulatory Commission which will regulate electricity generation, transmission, systems operations, distribution and supply.
Asuquo also intimated that the bill, will also provides for establishment of the State’s Electrification Agency as well as the State’s Electrification Fund to promote reliable and universal access to electricity for all residents in the State.
He sued for the support of lawmakers while enumerating the advantages that the state will derive from the bill when passed into Law.
Speaking to newsmen after the session, the house member representing Boki 1 State Constituency and Chairman house committee on Agriculture, Natural Resources and Forestry, Hon. Bette Phillip Obi saluted the courage of the Otu-led administration, concerning the intent of the bill, stating that it goes a long way to show how rooted the governor is on issues bothering the affairs of the rural communities.
” We are lucky today that this bill came up and has passed the second reading. I believe in the many benefits this bill, when passed into law, will bring to our rural habitants. Boki 1 is an agrarian area and we are the most deprived, especially in terms of infrastructure. Like I mentioned in the hallowed chamber, despite our massive size in terms of population and geographic location, not forgetting our commercial contributions to the growth of the state economy, my constituents live in total darkness. We have a total of five wards and none can boast of electricity for years now. With the domestication of this proposed electricity bill, hopefully all that will change. Cross River state is on the right track to success”.
On his part, Hon. Samuel Neji Abang, house member representing Ikom 1 State Constituency, applauded the many potentials the bill holds for the economy of the state, citing the influx of investors already waiting, for a proper legal framework that will guarantee the protection of their investments.
” This bill is very much welcomed and timely. Though modified now, I brought this same electricity bill to the house last year for it to be domesticated, after President Tinubu signed into law removing power from the Exclusive to Concurrent list. I was called upon by the governor, that they would like to expand on the bill so they can come up with a more comprehensive policy framework. So, through the Attorney General of the state they have now been able to achieve that. The governor gave the nod and now it has become an executive bill and no longer a private sponsored bill from the house.
The emphasis of the bill is on generation, distribution and regulations of power. After generating light we have to distribute. We will now have a commission that will regulate the entire sector in terms of investment profiling for those interested in partnering with the state. Yes we have a power plant that is about 95% complete but we cannot just distribute light without this law in place. The commercial potential in the value chain of this framework when passed into law is massive. Ikom suffers the same fate as other areas in the aspect of power outage for years despite her commercial prowress. With the coming of this bill when passed into law, like we see in Abia state, investors can now have the luxury of deciding which area to concentrate, whether a local government or a senatorial zone. This bill has my full support”.
For Hon.Thomas Aruku, member representing Ogoja State Constituency, the executive bill could not have come at a better time, noting how hapless the economy of the state has been under the siege of erratic power supply, especially for people in the northern fringe of Cross River state.
” For us, especially people from the northern senetorial district of Cross River, especially Ogoja, I must say we are the worst hit in this epileptic power supply. The unfortunate thing is that they generate and distribute light for us from Enugu but we pay our bills to Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company. PHEDC supplies Southern part of Cross River with power while Enugu does so for both Central and Northern Cross River. In Ogoja we only experience power 2 or 3 days in a month, and it usually falls on the days they distribute their bills. It is really that pathetic.
With the coming of this bill we have a very strong belief things will change for the better. The state government can now say, let us divide our generation and distribution pattern into the three already existing senetorial districts. Obudu has a functional dam. Ogoja has a functional dam. There are major rivers in the north. If you move to the Central, the Ikom River cuts across Obubra and extends to Yakurr, so we can easily generate and distribute light comfortably in every zone of the state. I strongly believe if we have had this opportunity of removing this from the Exclusive list before now, Cross River state would have been properly lit up. For us in the North and Central, when passed I to law, this bill will be the best thing to have happened to us. It will remove a major restraint holding back many artisans and entrepreneurs from establishing themselves”.
Earlier, during plenary The Speaker, Rt Hon Elvert Ayambem noted that the State has been plagued by epileptic power supply from the National Grid for a long time making it difficult for businesses to thrive as most of them depend sorely on generators. He reiterated that adequate power supply drives the economy of nations.
Ayambem further assured that the House will give the bill an early passage after a robust engagement with stakeholders during it’s public hearing stage. He subsequently referred the bill to the House Committee on Power after its second reading by the Clerk, Barr Catherine Ubi.
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