Vice President Inaugurates ‘Light Up Nigeria’ Project, Says Tinubu Is Not Anti-Igbo

Vice President Kashim Shettima inaugurated the Light Up Nigeria Project in Enugu, located in the southeast of the country, to improve the electricity supply to industrial clusters in the region.

During his speech at the inauguration, the vice president assured the Igbo ethnic community that President Bola Tinubu has been supportive of the community and the region.

"The long-awaited solution to the epileptic power supply is finally here and this project will help to stabilize Nigeria because if there is no power, there can't be industrialization," he said, Premium Times reported.

He added, "The economic fortune of Nigeria remains the critical concern of President Tinubu as we believe that if the power sector works, Nigeria works too, so we must make the project work and make the South-east work."

The vice president noted that this new project marks the renewal of hope for investors and industrialists, adding that this event is not just a ribbon-cutting charade but a "calculated endeavor to re-engineer our economy."

Nigeria has been going through an economic crisis since Tinubu announced fuel subsidy removal after taking over the office, leading to increased prices of fuel as well as food items across the country.

Shettima pointed out that this project will serve as a solution to the electricity problem Nigeria has been facing for decades.

He went on to talk about Igbo-speaking people of the South-east, saying that they are known for being hardworking and they are the hope for Nigeria's future.

"Some describe the Igbo as the Nigerian Jews; geographically mobile, economically enterprising and educationally ambitious. You have the hope of the nation, right in our midst. The hope of the nation rests with Ndigbo," he said.

Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo State, Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State, Governor Charles Soludo of Anambra State, alongside Ebonyi Governor Francis Nwifuru also attended the event.

During the event, Mbah praised the federal government and the Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC), which was responsible for organizing the project.

"The Light up Nigeria Project today is, in my view, a new dawn for power in the South-east and one of the most innovative initiatives in the power sector," Mbah said. "This project is of critical importance since it deals with the power sector, which I believe is pivotal to economic growth."