The Federal Government has taken a new step to address power supply challenges by purchasing 10 mobile power stations.
The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, announced this during a meeting with the Forum of Commissioners of Energy in Nigeria on February 28.
The goal is to improve collaboration between the Federal and State governments to ensure a consistent power supply.
A press statement from the Ministry of Power, signed by Bolaji Tunji on February 29, mentioned that Adelabu reassured the forum, which included representatives from 23 States, that power outages will soon be resolved. He asked for patience as efforts are being made to improve the situation.
“We are poised to address the root cause of the electricity challenge. We have done enough diagnostics, we know the cause of the problem, and we are now in the implementation stage. We have realised that in the past, temporary solutions were applied to the challenges without dealing with the root cause”, he said.
Adelabu urged the Federal and State governments to collaborate and take advantage of the opportunity to work together.
“You can always call on me to intervene, I will stand by you and I know once the States start to perform and take up further responsibilities, it means I have also performed.
“When each of the States starts getting involved, there would be healthy rivalry akin to what we used to have in the days of regional government”.
He highlighted the example of Abia State, where Geometrics Power Limited has set up a power plant generating 188 megawatts of power. The plant supplies electricity to seven to eight local government areas in the State.
“They enjoy 24-hour power supply; this is what we want States to also adopt. It might look difficult, but with tenacity and if we endure, it is achievable”, he said.
The Minister recommended that State governments participate in distribution networks within their States and address the metering gap.
“You can then discuss with the DISCOs how to capitalise your investment. State government can get involved in picking the executive management of the DISCOs. You already have about 40 per cent of the shares of the DISCOs. You need to discuss this with the Ministry of Finance Incorporated (MOFI) on the shares. If a State buys about 10, 000 meters, all that needs to be done is to agree with the DISCOs on capitalising the investment”.
“You should know who you are dealing with at the State level and if you invest in the power infrastructure, you would know who to hold responsible. It is easy for the States and DISCOs to work together on distribution. As a State, you are in a position to know the unserved and the underserved or where there are weak infrastructures that States can invest in. Once we can attend the challenges from 36 points, we will have solved a lot of our electricity problems”, he said.
Earlier, the Chairman of the Forum, who also serves as the Commissioner of Power and Energy in Cross River State, Prince Eka Williams, expressed unwavering support for the Federal government’s visions, ideas, and electricity reforms.
He highlighted that the Electricity Act has assigned the States the responsibility of managing electricity affairs within their jurisdiction.
Williams stressed that the states are prepared to collaborate to address the issues and fundamental challenges at hand.
“The Honourable Minister’s consistent call for collaboration and partnership is key”, he said
