By Seyi Babalola
Following the ongoing power outage in the country’s Northeast geopolitical zone, more voices have joined the call for Adebayo Adelabu’s resignation as Minister of Power.
The most recent of these requests comes from Taraba State’s legal luminary, Bilyaminu Maihanchi, who requested the Minister’s urgent resignation in an open letter on Sunday for allegedly neglecting to restore electricity to the Northeast area.
States in the northeast, including Taraba, have been thrown under darkness for the last three weeks following the suspected vandalism of energy infrastructure belonging to the Yola energy Distribution Company (YEDC).
Citing an ongoing failure to restore consistent electricity in the region, the lawyer, in his open letter, demanded that the minister, as a matter of urgency, vacate his office to give room for someone else to perform.
Highlighting the severe impact that the lack of power has had on the economic growth, healthcare services, education, and general quality of life in the region, accusing the minister of neglecting his duties and failing to provide the basic necessities for the people.
“The people of the Northeast have suffered for far too long without access to reliable electricity, hindering economic development, healthcare, education, and overall well-being.”
Maihanchi called for accountability, suggesting that the minister’s resignation could pave the way for more effective leadership.
He said his demand for the Minister’s resignation underscores a growing sentiment that change is needed at the highest levels of the power sector to address these challenges.
He said, “Your resignation would demonstrate accountability and pave the way for a more competent and dedicated individual to take the helm and address the long-suffering people’s needs.”
Aligning its weight to that of Maihanchi, the state government, through the Commissioner of Energy and Economic Development, Naomi Agbu, recently accused the federal government of the persistent blackout in the state and the region at large.
It said, “the lengthy time to respond to this matter is concerning as it shows complete neglect by the federal government of Nigeria to Taraba state and the region.
“If there is one thing we have all learnt in the past few days from the response time to faults and the priority of the heads in the sector, is that the network to the North-East region is vulnerable.”
