News
Light at Last for Bende as 1000KVA Solar Project Powers Up Communities +(PHOTOS)
…reconnects Uzoakoli, Ozuitem, Bende Headquarters to National Grip
…Deputy Speaker Gifts New Two-Bedroom Home to Widow in Bende
By Gloria Ikibah
A major boost to electricity supply in Bende Federal Constituency of Abia State was achieved with the commissioning of a 1000KVA solar-powered electricity project, marking a significant stride towards sustainable energy for the area.
The project which was initiated by the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu is expected to provide stable and reliable power to Bende headquarters and surrounding communities, easing long-standing challenges associated with erratic electricity supply.
The solar installation is designed for long-term service, with batteries expected to last up to 25 years. Power is generated from a central solar farm and distributed through a network of transformers positioned across the community to ensure wide coverage.
Kalu who represents the constituency at the House of Representatives, said the success of the project, is closely tied to community cooperation, particularly in granting access to land and transformer locations. He stressed that local support is essential to sustain the facility and ensure that residents fully benefit from the investment.
It also emerged that the solar farm was constructed on Kalu’s personal land after efforts to secure a suitable community site proved unsuccessful.
While acknowledging the difficulties involved in connecting Bende to the national grid, including the high cost of repairing and replacing damaged transformers, the Deputy Speaker disclosed that work is already underway to restore grid connectivity to communities such as Uzuakoli, Ozuitem and Bende headquarters from the Alaoji power station.
The project is expected to complement ongoing efforts to improve electricity infrastructure in the constituency and reduce dependence on unstable grid supply.
He said: “This one is 1000KVA, and there is another 1000KVA coming, and they are going to be spread across the Bende community. We have registered the whole thirteen wards in Bende Federal Constituency to receive a project like this, but we are still waiting for them to give us land. The federal government needs a location to site them. This one will serve us and will not break down for a very long time.
“What the people building it said is that in about twenty-five years, the battery will still be there serving this community. I have seen it and it works. There are two locations: one is the generation point, where the electricity is generated, and the next one is the distribution point, where the transformers will work. And we are going to use as many transformers as possible.
“If we want to connect to the transformers in the community, you will not agree. If you refuse to give land and deny access to transformers, how will you get the light? So, you people should try and cooperate.
“The one I am doing on the national grid, I have spent about two hundred million naira to connect Bende back to Alaoji. That is the truth. The two hundred million naira was used in the process of connecting light back to Bende. This took a lot of other transformers to make it possible. But in doing that, we need to service all the transformers here to make it work, and you disagreed. How will you get light if your transformers are bad?
“The ones we carried, we have repaired them and brought them back, and the next step will be installation. To develop a community, all hands must join. So you people should come together, because I cannot be doing everything. You have a role to play, and I have mine. Sustaining this community is in your hands.”
Appreciating President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his support and commitment to community development, Kalu said that the light will enable small scale businesses to thrive and generally enhance productivity.
He also called for the setting up of a vigilante group within the community to protect the critical power infrastructure.
“We must also build a strong vigilante group to protect this project”, he said.
In a related gesture, the Deputy Speaker extended his community outreach with the donation of a newly constructed two-bedroom bungalow to a widow, Mrs Mgbadu Kalu Madukwem, and her son, Onyebuchi Kalu Madukwem, of the Ndi Kalu compound in Agbamunzu Village, Umuoche Autonomous Community, Bende Local Government Area of Abia State.
The house was formally handed over to the family on Friday, bringing relief to the beneficiaries. The initiative was conceived several months earlier during an evening walk through the community, when the Deputy Speaker became aware of the family’s housing situation.
The donation formed part of his broader commitment to improving the welfare of residents across the constituency. He reaffirmed his resolve to continue supporting the people of Bende as a mark of appreciation for the confidence they placed in him through their electoral support.
“Sometimes ago, I was strolling around the village with my children, I saw a mud house here that was in a very bad shape with a leaking roof, about to collapse on the occupants and I made a promise that I will build something better. The man of the house was still alive at the time. I am happy that we have been able to achieve that today.
“We have also discovered some mud houses around Bende. We are going to make sure we rebuild those mud houses, starting from this January. We will go from community to community. I can’t bear sleeping in a good apartment whereas those who sent me to Abuja are sleeping in mud houses with leaking roofs. It’s not good. I am happy that we are giving a brand new house to a family that did not expect it. They didn’t even ask me for it. They didn’t come to me and say build a house for us. I was the one who went to them and promised to build a house for them and today we have completed it to the Glory of God”, he said.
In their separate remarks, Mrs. Mgbadu Kalu Madukwem and her son who were overwhelmed by emotions expressed profound gratitude to the Deputy Speaker for his kind gestures, praying God to bless him abundantly.
The frontline Presidential aspirant for 2027 and the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr Peter Obi, on Monday led top Igbo leaders to the, Maitiama Abuja home of former President Goodluck Jonathan.
The meeting lasted for about two hours and was attended by some South East leaders, including former Enugu State governor, Dr Okwesilize Nwodo, his Imo State counterpart, Chief Achike Udenwa, former Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Chief Onyema Ugochukwu, Senators Ben Obi and Victor Umeh, among others.
Obi who spoke to journalists after the meeting, disclosed that it was in continuation of consultations with former national leaders in the country regarding his presidential ambition.
The former Labour Party candidate is seeking the ticket of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), saying they have not yet come for endorsement but for consultations and exchange of views.
Obi explained that the meeting was part of his consultations with former leaders.
“We need to consult them, especially someone like him (Jonathan) who served the country very faithfully, focused, and did what is expected in a democracy. In this declining situation, you consult him,” he said.
Obi had earlier visited former President Olusegun Obasanjo and Ibrahim Babangida, among others, as part of his engagements with former Nigerian leaders.
He refused to disclose in detail, the outcome of the meeting, but simply added that Jonathan wished the country well.
“He wished that we had a free, fair, credible election.
“There can’t be a one-party system. He cannot support such a thing. Nobody can claim to be more of a democrat in this country than Jonathan,” Obi said.
He however stated that the former president has not endorsed him for president in 2027 because he has not come for that.
“We’re not talking about an endorsement yet. When I become a candidate, I’ll come back for endorsement. He wishes the country well. We are here to consult with him,” he added.
Mr. Suage Badey, son of late Chief Albert Badey, former Secretary to the Rivers State Government, says peace and reconciliation remain the only pathway to sustainable development in Ogoni land.
Badey made the assertion on Saturday in Port Harcourt at the 90th posthumous birthday celebration of his father, alongside the unveiling of the Albert Badey Centre for Development and its inaugural lecture.
He said that the era of grievances and acrimony in Ogoni land should give way to unity and collective progress.
“This is the time to move forward. We have no more grudges in our hearts. There is no need for continuous acrimony,” he said.
Badey urged Ogoni leaders to embrace dialogue in resolving differences, stressing that unity was critical to the advancement of the people.
“As we move into peace, the lives of those committed to this course should not be endangered,” he added.
In case you had forgotten, Chief Albert Badey and three other prominent Ogoni leaders were killed on May 21, 1994, during a meeting at Giokoo in Gokana Local Government Area of Rivers.
Badey described his late father as a committed public servant who contributed significantly to the development of Ogoni land.
He said his father played key roles in the creation of four local government areas for the Ogoni people and the siting of a state polytechnic in Bori.
“If my father were alive, he would have called for forgiveness, even for those who took his life,” he said.
Badey said the establishment of the Albert Badey Centre for Development was aimed at immortalising his father and promoting development initiatives in the area.
“This project is inspired by his sacrifices and dedication to the people,” he said.
The court fixed April 29, April 30, May 4, and May 5 for the commencement of trial proceedings and the hearing of bail applications filed by the defendants.
Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court, Abuja, has granted an accelerated hearing in the trial of six suspects accused of plotting to overthrow President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
The court fixed April 29, April 30, May 4, and May 5 for the commencement of trial proceedings and the hearing of bail applications filed by the defendants.
During proceedings, the Attorney General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, informed the court that the prosecution had witnesses available, subject to the convenience of the court.
Counsel for the first defendant, Mohammed Ilayepo, indicated that his client’s bail application was due for a hearing.
Justice Abdulmalik, however, ruled that the trial would commence before any bail applications were considered.
Counsel for the second, third, and sixth defendants, Paul Erokoro, A. I. Yeru, and N. S. Diri, respectively, expressed reservations about their readiness to proceed, citing the short notice given to them and the complex nature of the case.
Justice Abdulmalik then directed all counsel to agree on dates suitable for a speedy trial.
The court subsequently fixed the hearing dates for the accelerated trial.
The Federal Government had last Wednesday arraigned the suspects.
The defendants, including Major General Ibrahim Gana (retd), who was in a wheelchair; retired naval captain Erasmus Victor, Inspector Ahmed Ibrahim, Zekeri Umoru, Bukar Goni, and Abdulkadir Sani, pleaded not guilty to the 13-count charge when it was read in their hearing.
Following their plea of not guilty, Fagbemi asked that they be remanded in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) and for an expeditious trial.
Justice Abdulmalik, therefore, ordered an accelerated trial and that the defendants be placed in the custody of the DSS.
The case was adjourned to April 27 for trial and an accelerated hearing.
The government filed a 13-count charge against the suspects last Tuesday before the court against the suspects.
Also listed in the charge, but said to be at large, was a former Minister of Petroleum, Timiprye Sylva.
The charge, filed by the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and signed by the Director of Public Prosecutions, Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), accused the defendants of offences ranging from alleged treason and terrorism to failure to disclose security intelligence and money laundering linked to terrorism financing.
The prosecution alleged that the defendants conspired in 2025 “to levy war against the state to overpower the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” an offence punishable under Section 37(2) of the Criminal Code.
Earlier, journalists were barred from covering the trial of six alleged coup plotters, raising concerns about the transparency in handling the matter.
Judiciary correspondents were on Monday left uncertain about developments in the case, particularly as the suspects’ bail application was pending before the court.
2027: Obi, Igbo leaders, consult with Jonathan in a closed-door meeting in Abuja
Peace, Reconciliation Only Path To Progress In Ogoni land — Badey
Court Grants Accelerated Hearing In Trial Of Alleged Coup Plotters
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