Delta State Government has approved the adoption of a decentralized mini-grid model of electricity and the establishment of new regulatory bodies to drive a sustainable power market.

The State Commissioner for Economic Planning, Mr. Sonny Ekedayen, disclosed this on Tuesday at a post-Executive Council (EXCO) press briefing in Asaba.

Mr. Ekedayen said the initiative aligned with Governor Sheriff Oborevwori’s MORE Agenda, which prioritized infrastructure and improved service delivery across the state, pointing out that the Delta State House of Assembly had earlier domesticated the Federal Government’s 2023 Electricity Act, thus providing the legislative foundation for the state to chart its own course in electricity generation, distribution, and regulation.

The Commissioner said; “with the passage of that law, we now have a clear pathway toward providing reliable and steady electricity supply to Deltans at competitive prices. This latest EXCO approval marks another major milestone in our journey”.

According to him, the state government had adopted a mini-grid model that will allow multiple independent operators to provide end-to-end electricity services in various locations across the state.

He explained that the approach differed significantly from the conventional centralized grid, which often left entire regions in darkness should there be a failure at a single point in the system.

“With the mini-grid approach, if an outage occurs in one part of the state, it won’t affect other areas. Each operator is responsible for generation, distribution, and supply within their designated zones, which enhances resilience and reliability”, he explained.

Ekedayen noted that the model would also allow service providers to propose energy solutions based on the most viable energy mix for their area.

While conventional gas-powered sources remained an option, operators could also explore renewable energy alternatives such as solar and hydro power.

The Commissioner emphasized that the entire electricity reform would be privately funded, with the state government providing only the regulatory framework and the enabling environment.

He said: “This is a private sector-driven initiative. Our role is to set the rules, ensure fairness, and create the atmosphere for investment and innovation to thrive”.

To support this framework, the EXCO approved the establishment of the Delta State Electricity Commission, which would serve as the central regulatory authority.

The Commission would be responsible for issuing licences, monitoring compliance, and mediating between operators and consumers.

Also approved was the establishment of a Rural Electricity Agency, which will focus on delivering electricity to under-served rural communities across the state, ensuring inclusivity and equity in power distribution.

In addition, the state has created the role of a System Operator to oversee the technical coordination of generation and supply processes, and a Market Operator who will track supply data, enforce service standards, and ensure that minimum electricity hours are delivered to homes and businesses.

Ekedayen announced that a consultant would also be appointed to help midwife the electricity transition process by providing expert guidance and assisting in the creation of a robust implementation roadmap.

He acknowledged that while electricity market reform was still new territory for many sub-national governments, Delta State remained committed to getting it right. “Only a few states in Nigeria have dared to venture this far”, he said.

The Commissioner stressed; “but we are determined to deliver not just electricity, but a system that works, one that creates jobs, supports industry, and improves the quality of life for our people”.

Ekedayen added that the journey would be deliberate and methodical to avoid costly mistakes, but always with the people’s best interests at the core of every decision.

He described the latest EXCO approvals as the formal birth of the Delta State electricity market and expressed optimism that the business and manufacturing sectors would welcome the initiative with enthusiasm.

“With this, we are confident that Delta is on course to becoming a model for sub-national electricity transformation in Nigeria,” he concluded.

THE  lion king of Asaba,HRM Prof Epiphany Azinge, SAN,Asagba of Asaba, has vowed to ensure a crackdown on drug peddlers who he said have infested the Cable Point area of the State capital in the next one week. He reiterated his determination to restore the lost glory of Cable-Point which he said, was rooted in history as once a centre of attraction where notable elites resided.

Speaking at a reception held in his honour by the various communities resident in Cable Point, Azinge noted that “for us coming to Cable Point is to reconnect with our history and or past. For us to abandon Cable Point is to abandon a rich part of our history.

“So, we have resolved that it is in our collective interest not to abandon Cable Point but to make sure that we build Cable Point.”

The Asagba expressed worry that the area was now almost a theatre of conflict, saying “if there is any escalation of violence that will ensue in Asaba, it is likely to erupt from Cable Point.

“We are here to forestall any eventuality to make sure that it doesn’t happen and the only way that it will not happen is for you people to take responsibility, to know how to confront some of these emergencies and to take the bull by the horn early in the day.

“We are here because, Cable Point, from the intelligence available to us, is more or less a drug-infested area. Most of the drugs peddled in Asaba that filter into the other parts of Asaba, have their roots here in Cable Point and that is why we are saying enough is enough.

“We are only going to give one week’s notice to all those people involved before we start raiding all those places. We know why we are here, we are here for a mission and the mission is to send this message to all the people residing on Cable Point that yes, Asaba is peaceful, but we don’t want any conflagration or breach of peace that will start from Cable-Point.

“So we want to thank you for this reception. But for me, it is not the quality of the reception thatis important. What is important to me is that there is a restoration of the quality of the cable point we are used to by the time we leave here.

The Asagba of Asaba, Obi Epiphany Azinge, has commended the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, for its achievements in the past 25 years.

Obi Azinge spoke when the Chairman of the NDDC Governing Board, Mr. Chiedu Ebie, led a delegation of the Commission’s Board and Management to pay a courtesy visit to him in his palace in Asaba, Delta State.

The NDDC delegation included the Managing Director, Dr. Samuel Ogbuku; the Executive Director of Finance and Administration, Alabo Boma Iyaye; the Executive Director of Corporate Services, Hon. Ifedayo Abegunde; and other Directors of the Commission.

The royal father commended the NDDC for its intervention in several sectors across the Niger Delta region. He expressed delight with the foreign postgraduate scholarship programme, which had helped many Niger Delta youths upgrade their knowledge.

He also acknowledged the contributions of the NDDC Chairman, whom he said had served the Delta State Government in different capacities. He noted that Ebie served meritoriously as Delta State Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education and later, Secretary to the State Government.

Obi Azinge called on the NDDC to extend its intervention to some critical areas in Asaba, noting that the town had been contending with floods for many years.

He also appealed to the NDDC to assist in the construction of projects that would benefit the people in his domain.

The monarch thanked the NDDC for selecting Asaba as the venue for some of the activities marking its 25th anniversary, such as a press conference and the movie premiere.

Speaking earlier. The NDDC Chairman, Mr. Chiedu Ebie, congratulated the Asagba on his coronation as the Asagba of Asaba. He expressed optimism that his reign would bring good tidings to Asaba, which serves as both a kingdom and the capital of Delta State.

He stated that the NDDC had come of age and was now a big brother to the new development agencies in Nigeria’s geo-political zones.

Ebie said that as part of the silver jubilee celebration, the Commission was going around the nine states of the Niger Delta. “We are in Asaba to hold a World Press conference and movie premiere because the town is fast becoming the Nollywood capital of Nigeria.”

Seledi Thompson-Wakama

Director, Corporate Affairs

A suspect, Chiemerie Obika Elobisi, from Umueri village, Ogbunike, Oyi LGA, is on the run for murdering a pregnant nurse whom he lured to his house under false pretenses, claiming that he needed medical treatment. However, he killed and mutilated the nurse.
‎
‎Following the incident, the Anambra police launched a manhunt with information from the residents of Umueri village. A 24-year-old woman, Somtochukwu Nwafor, the girlfriend of the prime suspect, was arrested for her alleged involvement in the murder of the nurse.
‎
‎Somtochukwu confessed that she was called by Chiemerie to come clean the bloodstains, and thereafter, some of the victim’s body parts were removed, and the body was deposited in a septic tank.
‎
‎Further interrogation from Somtochukwu revealed that the mutilated body parts were sold to different native doctors. This led to a manhunt by the State Criminal Investigation Department, which, in the early hours of July 29, 2025, burst into the shrine of a native doctor, Nwafor Chibunna Ofornwatadile, from Itima Amawa Village, Ogbunike, where human body parts were found in a polyethylene bag.
‎
‎The State Commissioner of Police, Ikioye Orutugu, condemning the act, has promised not to leave any stone unturned until the prime suspect and others who received the body parts are hunted down.

The Asagba of Asaba, His Royal Majesty, Asagba Prof Epiphany Azinge, SAN, OON, has vowed that the ongoing fight against crime and criminality in the capital city of Asaba will be sustained.

The monarch, who was responding to remarks by the Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Prof. Is-Haq Oloyode, who visited him in his palace, noted that moral decadence amongst present day primary and secondary school students had assumed a worrisome dimension.

He said the development had taken a toll on the reading culture, as most of the pupils and students engaged in cultism and drug addiction at the expense of their studies, thereby leaving them with the option to cheat in order to pass their examinations.

The Asagba remarked that more worrisome was the infiltration of cultism into primary schools, disclosing that he had visited some schools in the community to address the students on the need to shun social vices and focus on their studies, while the Asaba Anti-Cult Unit was working hard to bring the menace under control.

His Royal Majesty added that drug peddling and addiction were also being fought frontally, revealing that drug outlets in the community were recently raided by security operatives and arrests made, even in the face of a fight back.

Asagba Prof Azinge told the JAMB helmsman that the get – rich – quick syndrome had forced some youths into cybercrime and rituals for money, which made him to ban the activities of Eze Nwanyi one month after ascending the throne.

The First Class traditional ruler commended Prof. Oloyode for his intimidating profile and achievements, noting that his administrative ingenuity had helped to restore sanity, stability and integrity to JAMB.

The JAMB Chief Executive Officer had told the Asagba that he was in Asaba for the 2025 Annual Public Service Lecture of the University of Ibadan Alumni Association, and decided to seize the opportunity to pay him homage and respect.

Prof Oloyode praised Asagba Prof Azinge’s leadership qualities, congratulated the people of Asaba on his emergence as their king and expressed confidence that he would use his wealth to experience, connections and exposure to elevate Asaba, Delta State and Nigeria in general.

He used the opportunity to solicit the monarch’s support for the fight against examination malpractice, fueled by students’ desperation to pass their examinations at all cost, insisting that the notion that one must not fail needed to be corrected.