By Eunice Nnachi, Yenagoa
Hope for improved electricity supply is rising in Bayelsa State as work on the gas turbine project in Yenagoa moves closer to completion.
The Commissioner for Information, Orientation and Strategy, Ebiuwou Koku-Obiyah, said the state government remains committed to delivering stable power, noting that significant progress has been made in recent months.
“Over the months, we have been given time to generate the power. By February, we expected everything to be ready, and now we want everything to be set,” she stated.
She explained that although February was initially projected for readiness, final processes are still being handled carefully to ensure a successful rollout.
“We are believing that the President of this nation will come and commission the gas turbine, so there are a lot of processes to tie up,” she said.
Koku-Obiyah urged residents to remain patient and supportive, encouraging them to verify progress rather than rely on criticism.
“It is not good to remain at home and criticise. Go and see what your government is doing. We have invested so much, and I believe that Bayelsans will benefit from it. Let us remain calm and continue to believe. Very soon, the light will be up,” she added.
On the planned commissioning, she noted that due process must be followed.
“You know that inviting the President is a process. We are working on it,” she said.
Speaking during an inspection visit by members of the Federated Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), the Site Manager, Engineer Steve Bubagha, described the current phase as a critical review stage.
“What we are doing now is checking everything we have done. We have not started the test run. All the bolts and installations, we are going back to cross-check them,” he explained.
He stressed the sensitivity of the project, noting that careful communication is required at this stage.
“The turbine is a very sensitive issue, so we are very careful with what we say. But you have been here before, you have seen it, and you can deduce that we have achieved a lot, by the grace of God,” Bubagha said.
Although he declined to give a specific timeline for the first test run, he assured that progress has been steady.
“A day is coming when we will run the system, but I cannot give a date. Only the Managing Director can make that available,” he said.
Bubagha confirmed that the project is designed to generate 60 megawatts of electricity, with Yenagoa metropolis as the initial beneficiary.
“For now, it is Yenagoa that will be covered. We have said that often enough,” he noted.
On the level of completion, he added that major installations have been carried out.
“Yes, we have completed installation of the units. What remains is continuous assessment and cross-checking of what has already been done,” he said.
