President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday inaugurated a 9.5 megawatts (MW) capacity off-grid gas-fueled power system built by a private consortium under the Energising Economies Initiative (EEI) of the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) to supply electricity to up to 47,000 shops and small businesses operating at the Ariaria International Market in Aba, Abia State.
The market which supplies its renowned ‘made in Aba’ products to countries along the West Africa coasts and Central Africa, had reportedly been challenged with the problem of inefficient electricity supply from the national grid, which had often forced its occupants to rely on exorbitant alternative power sources.
But speaking shortly before he launched the plant which also has an extensive distribution network and metering systems for each shop, Buhari told traders in the market that his government had considered their challenges with stable electricity supply and its impact on their productivity and decided to support the private operator - Ariaria Market Energy Solutions Ltd (AMES), to build and operate the plant and its distribution network.
He claimed the past governments of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) turned their backs on the traders, and refused to create an enabling business environment for them, adding that his government had elected to take up their challenges to grow their productivity.
“We have demonstrated that if the common good is our mission objective, it can be achieved irrespective of party differences and constitutional limitations.
“I like to say there is no political colour; I was elected to office on the convincing argument my party made about our commitment to security, developing the economy and fighting corruption. Some of the sound economic choices we made for Nigeria are self-sufficiency, self-reliance, national productivity, job creation, promoting made in Nigeria products and facilitating ease of doing business.
“Our local production of grains such as rice is now well known, as we now march to total local production, I am pleased to know that Abia State is a worthy contributor,” said Buhari.
He added that by providing a dedicated electricity supply to the traders and small businesses in the area, the government was strengthening the made in Nigeria policy for which Abia and in particular, Aba and Ariaria are already well known.
“Reliable power supply is critical to ease of doing business to ensure sustainability and improvement. I am told that before this intervention, traders in this market only got power for four hours a day and pay exorbitantly for it which constantly affect the viability of many businesses.
"This is the sad thing we inherited, and which we are replacing with this power supply which is cleaner and better.
“Those who turned their backs on this problem still have the courage to campaign about unemployment and poverty, nothing they say can change what we have done here to provide leap where they perpetrated neglect.
"What is happening in Ariaria today by way of clean, independent and reliable power to market and small businesses is happening in Kano, Lagos and Ibadan. Jobs are also being created through the initiative,” the president added.
He added that his government has been methodical in governance, adding: “slowly but very efficiently, we are cleaning up the mess, we are moving our economy away from rent and avarice, and heading resolutely to building an economy that rewards investments, enterprise and hard work.”
Promising the traders that his government would remain committed to them, the president said: “I congratulate all the traders in this market for contributing to national productivity and salute your resoluteness over the years where no previous government attended to your concerns.
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