Enugu Fair: We overshot our budget due to protracted power outage – Organisers

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The Enugu Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (ECCIMA) says it has overshot its budget for the 37th Enugu International Trade Fair due to the protracted power outage.

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The Director-General of ECCIMA, Uche Mba, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Enugu, on Wednesday.

Mr Mba blamed the development on the chamber’s dependence on its diesel-powered generators throughout the duration of the fair.

According to him, operating on diesel increased the fair’s daily costs, especially with the two-day extension.

“We have recorded a lot of unanticipated costs, particularly buying diesel at the present exorbitant price.

“The huge expenses incurred in running our generating sets also ate deep into our general budget for the fair,” Mr Mbah said.

He blamed the situation on MainPower Electricity Distribution Limited’s failure to meet its assurances to provide regular power.

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“It is unfortunate. We even visited the company to seek its cooperation to ensure they provide stable electricity during the fair,” he said.

Speaking on the poor power supply, the spokesman for MainPower, Emeka Ezeh, said the company was experiencing challenges with energy allocation, which he said had dropped significantly.

Mr Eze also said that the situation had lingered since late last year, adding that “it is not peculiar to MainPower DisCo, but all other distribution companies in the country.

He said, “We did not and cannot deprive ECCIMA of power during its crucial fair.

“Rather, we serve them and all our other customers based on the energy allocation we received from the national grid.

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“Unfortunately, with what is currently going on in the power sector, MainPower cannot deliver a constant supply because the energy allocation it receives from the national grid is not sufficient to do so.”

Mr Eze reiterated the company’s commitment to supporting ECCIMA and all its programmes and initiatives, including the ongoing trade fair.

“However, it would only be fair that ECCIMA appreciates the current power supply challenge, which is experienced across the country,” he said.

NAN reports that the theme of the 10-day fair is “Empowering Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises for Global Competitiveness”.

The event, which kicked off on 21 March 21, is expected to end on 1 April, after a two-day extension.