The management team of Ibom Power Company Limited, an electricity generation company based in Akwa Ibom State, was on Thursday led by the state governor, Gabriel Udom Emmanuel, to collect a license from the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) pursuant to its anticipated generation of about 685mw of electricity.
In another development, President Muhammadu Buhari, Thursday approved the continuation of efforts by the National Boundary Commission to achieve a significant expansion of Nigeria’s maritime boundaries with a view to claiming for the country, a potentially rich maritime territory of up to 104,000 square miles without any war or litigation.
President Buhari gave the approval after being briefed by M.B. Ahmad, the Director-General of the Commission, on the status of preparations for a submission by Nigeria to the United Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS).
Concerning the Ibom Power license, Sam Amadi, the chairman of NERC issued the license which was collected by governor Emmanuel at the Commission’s headquarters in Abuja. Victor Udo, the managing director of Ibom Power, was also present.
“This is particularly important because we are not giving license to a company whose competence to deliver on its terms is in doubt. They have done it before and I believe they can do it again,” said the NERC chairman.
On the expansion of Nigeria’s maritime borders, a statement by , Garba Shehu, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media, said the President also approved the constitution of a Presidential Committee to oversee the conclusion of work on the submission, which could lead to the expansion of Nigeria’s maritime boundaries from 200 nautical miles to 350 nautical miles, if approved by the CLCS.
The President further directed the Ministry of Finance to provide the funds required to conduct the geographical surveys.
According to Article 76 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, the continental shelf of a coastal state comprises the sea-bed and the sub-soil of the submarine areas that extend beyond its territorial sea throughout the natural prolongation of its land territory to the outer edge of the continental margin, or to a distance of 200 nautical miles from the baseline from which the breath of the territorial sea is measured.
A sovereign coastal state like Nigeria can extend its maritime territory beyond 200 nautical miles, up to a maximum of 350 nautical miles, if it can prove scientifically that the natural prolongation of its land territory under the sea extends beyond 200 nautical miles.
YANGE IKYAA & ELIZABETH ARCHBONG
