The paramount ruler of Emohua kingdom and chairman of the Rivers State traditional rulers council, HRM Sir Ohna Sergeant Awuse, has exonerated the chairman of Emohua local government area, Dr Chidi Lloyd, for the delayed restoration of electricity in the local government area.
The traditional ruler blamed the continued power outage in Emohua local government area on the failure of the Portharcourt electricity distribution company (PHED) to comply with the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed with the council chairman to restore the electricity line from Ahoada transmission station after receiving an agreed amount of money from Emohua local government.
The paramount ruler stated this at a ceremony marking the opening of the newly built Obiri Oloh (Oloh royal family hall) in Rumuche-Emohua in Emohua LGA on Saturday.
Ohna Sergeant Awuse, who actually facilitated the meeting that led to the MoU between the chairman of Emohua local government and the management of the Port Harcourt electricity distribution company in 2022, said the clarification became necessary following the misinformation being disseminated in some sections of the media as regards the continued power outage in Emohua local government area.
He urged media practitioners and social media commentators to be investigative in their reporting and desist from disseminating unverified information capable of misleading unsuspecting public members, stressing that the blame on the council chairman was mainly done out of ignorance.
He, however, appealed to Dr. Lloyd to consider taking further steps towards actualizing the MoU with the electricity distribution company through dialogue while appreciating the Emohua council boss for approving the full payment of the local government’s counterpart fund for the electricity project as contained in the MoU.
The chairman of Emohua LGA, Dr Chidi Lloyd, who was a special guest at the ceremony, commended Ohna Sergeant Awuse for his support of the local government administration under his watch, describing the traditional ruler as one of his sources of encouragement in his service to the people of Emohua LGA.
He lauded the traditional ruler’s visionary leadership in Emohua Kingdom, which he said has brought relative peace and attracted development to Emohua Kingdom and the local government area at large.
Speaking on the misrepresentation of facts on the continued power outage in Emohua LGA, Dr. Lloyd expressed displeasure over the failure of the management of PHED to fulfill their part of an MoU reached with Emohua local government after receiving over twenty-four million naira (N24,000,000) from the local government as the council’s counterpart fund for the electricity restoration project.
He said the local government was already taking legal action against PHED for a breach of agreement. Still, he assured that further consultations are already ongoing to ensure that electricity is restored in Emohua local government area, with a view to improving the socioeconomic lives of the people.
Dr. Lloyd, however, noted that the provision of electricity is not within the purview of the local government, stressing that he approved the electricity project in line with his administration’s restoration agenda with a view to improving the economy of the local government area.
Recall that criminals operating along the Ahoada-Emohua axis of the East-West road had vandalized the electricity installations along the power line feeding Emohua LGA and some parts of Ikwerre LGA from the Ahoada transmission station of the Port Harcourt electricity distribution company, leading to a power outage in the area before the emergence of Dr. Chidi Lloyd in 2021.
Speaking on the sidelines, erstwhile chief of staff at the Rivers State government house, Chief Emeh Glory Emeh, who was also a guest at the ceremony, joined Ohna Sergeant Awuse in confirming Dr. Lloyd’s effort to see that electricity is restored in Emohua LGA, describing the council chairman as an astute administrator who has distinguished himself in his chosen career, while thanking God for the gift of the multi-talented linguist as chairman of Emohua LGA at a very critical time in the history of the LGA.
The opening ceremony of the Oloh royal family hall, which featured special prayers and dedication by Emohua widows and the clergy, also had in attendance the acting vice chancellor of Ignatius Ajuru University of Education, Prof. Okey Onuchuku, the provost of Rivers State University Medical College, Prof. Chituru Orluwene, traditional rulers, community chiefs, elders, and opinion leaders across the Emohua kingdom, as well as friends and associates of the Awuse family.
Bright Jossy-Elendu
Chief Press Secretary to the Chairman, Emohua Local Government Area
Sat., October 28th, 2023
