The Senator, however, expressed the hope that there is light at the end of the tunnel.

“The hope is this: a decision must be taken by the Federal Government and the state governments because right now, we have two tiers of electricity markets. The state can do it, the Federal Government can do it, so they must all come together and make that decision.

“How do we get out of this? How do we pay for it? Who pays? And so forth, everywhere else in the world, that decision is always taken. Do we decide to subsidise fuel that we all use to run around, or do we see the decision to subsidise electricity that goes to everyone of us in terms of production. So that’s our choice to make,” he stated.

The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, while giving an overview of the power sector reforms, highlighted the achievements of the President Bola Tinubu-led administration, especially in the area of an increase in power generation.

He also listed the challenges of the sector to include funding paucity and vandalism of energy equipment, among others, saying “only in this country are energy equipment being vandalised in such magnitude.”

The Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Umo Eno, who was represented by his Deputy, Senator Akon Eyakenyi, described Small and Medium Enterprises as the engine of economic growth in most societies, noting that only a steady electricity supply could unlock the sector.

He expressed hope that with the calibre of resource persons at the retreat, critical issues bedeviling the power sector, would be addressed.