Electricity Market Bill: Rivers Assembly Speaker Opens Public Hearing

Electricity Market Bill: Rivers Assembly Speaker Opens Public Hearing

The Rivers State House of Assembly through its Committee on Power, Wednesday, conducted a Public Hearing on the Rivers State Electricity Market Bill, 2024.

A statement signed by Martin Wachukwu, Special Assistant on Media to the Speaker, Rivers State House of Assembly and circulated to news outlets noted that the Rivers State Electricity Market Bill, 2024, which is “a bill for law to repeal the Rivers State Electricity and Gas Board Law CAP 50, Laws of Rivers State 1999, and  to enact the Rivers State Market Law to provide for electricity supply, its power generation, transmission and distribution within Rivers State, and to establish the Rivers State Electricity Commission  for the enforcement of consumers’ right and obligation and for connected purposes.”

Declaring the public hearing open, Hon. Martin Chike Amaewhule said the hearing is a vital aspect of law making, as it provides the platform for stakeholders and members of the public to ventilate their opinions on a Bill such as the Electricity Market.

According to him, the bill seeks to improve power supply in the State for businesses to thrive, to encourage companies and individuals to invest in the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity, emphasizing that since power has been domiciled in the concurrent Legislative List, it is imperative for the State to have a legal framework that will properly guide the State and its people in investing in the power sector for fruitful yields.

He reiterated the resolve of the Tenth Rivers State House of Assembly to enact high impact laws that would positively affect the people of the State.

Earlier, the Chairman of the House Committee on Power, Hon. Frankline Nwabochi , while making the opening remarks stated that electric power which involves generation, transmission and distribution was the exclusive preserve of the Federal Government as the function was domiciled in the Exclusive Legislative list of the 1999 Constitution as altered, hence this Bill sponsored by the Speaker, Rt. Hon.  Martin Chike Amaewhule, stressing the Bill is in line with the new order.

Commenting on the bill on behalf of the Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON), the Chairman of ALGON, Hon. Allwell Ihunda harped on the importance of the Bill, describing it as a people oriented Bill.

He expressed the willingness of ALGON to work together with the House to ensure that when the law is enacted its benefits will trickle down to the grass roots.