Why Power Supply Has Improved in Nigeria

Fri, Sep 4, 2015
By publisher
4 MIN READ

BREAKING NEWS, Power

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The federal government attributes improved power supply in the country to the steady gas supply to power firms

By Anayo Ezugwu  |  Sep 14, 2015 @ 01:00 GMT  |

THE improved power supply witnessed in the country in the last two months has been attributed to steady gas supply to electricity firms.  Godknows Igali, permanent secretary, ministry of power, said electricity had been stable in the country lately because there was no case of gas pipeline vandalism.

He said things improved with the decision of the current administration to engage the communities through which the pipelines pass. This, he said, led to increased gas supplies and improved power supply nationwide currently at 4,600MW. He said, “The gas is now passing to the gas pipelines and I think that the government has been engaging the communities and the places where the gas infrastructure passes through. We hope it will be sustained because, like I said, there is a conscious engagement and this is being redoubled.

“To redouble means that there was an effort and when there was an effort and you put additional effort and additional effort, then, it means that you have redoubled your work and that is what is going on and at different levels. We saw tremendous vandalism especially before the handover. It has never been so bad. But now for nearly three months, not a single day has had that kind of vandalism. It is our prayer that this will continue.”

Igali explained that apart from President Muhammadu Buhari building on efforts of past government and tasking stakeholders with redoubling their efforts, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has been holding almost daily meetings with power distribution companies on ways of improving power supply to consumers.

He dismissed the insinuation that power supply improved because of increased rains. Igali explained that the hydropower stations in Kainji and Shiroro contribute just about 20 percent of the entire electricity and no substantial additions come from there.

This latest revelation coming from the ministry of power, no doubt has justified the claims by former President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration that the opposition was sabotaging their efforts in the power sector. In the wake of the 2015 general elections in the country, mostly in January, the gas pipelines was vandalised more than five times just to prove to Nigerians that the then administration could not fulfil its promises of steady power supply.

Chinedu Nebo, former, minister of power, had in December 2013, said the incessant pipeline vandalism was sabotaging the government’s effort in ensuring that power generating companies get enough input in terms of gas supply. He called on the media to sensitise Nigerians on the negative impact of such vandalism to the economy and to the entire value chain. “When gas supply is affected, it is not only power that suffers. It affects the entire value chain. The industries cannot work. There will be no power and the farmers cannot get fertiliser.”

He reiterated that the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan had a good agenda that Nigerians would benefit from if they would support the government by ensuring that facilities put in place by the government were not vandalised. “The president did what no other president could do. He faced the privatisation process and made sure it was completed. Everything is on course.

“The challenge we are having now is the teething problem. The good news is that the work of these vandals is being checked. The National Security Adviser to the President held a meeting with security operatives and all the stakeholders to that effect. There have been convictions of those who have vandalised facilities. The hope is that very soon there will be an improvement in power supply, as the entire value chain is being addressed,” he said.

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One thought on "Why Power Supply Has Improved in Nigeria"

  1. In evry tin i give it to good luck Jonathan he did strmendustly work in my country and he have keep a good negerse