New Year: President Tinubu Promises Improved Power Supply

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in his New Year speech on Monday, pledged his administration’s resolve to improve the nation’s electricity supply and development of more power projects.

According to reports, Tinubu and the German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, on Friday, December 1; signed the Presidential Power Initiative agreement designed to inject 12,000MW of electricity into the national grid.

This came on the sidelines of the United Nations Climate Change Summit, COP28, in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates.

In his New Year speech, however, Tinubu made it known that he, along with the German Chancellor, at the climate summit in Dubai, pledged their commitments to “a new deal to speed up the delivery of the Siemens Energy power project that will ultimately deliver a reliable supply of electricity to our homes and businesses under the Presidential Power Initiative which began in 2018.”

While noting the significance of a steady electricity supply to the economic transformation of the country, he said, “My administration recognizes that no meaningful economic transformation can happen without a steady electricity supply. In 2024, we are moving a step further in our quest to restart local refining of petroleum products with Port Harcourt Refinery, and the Dangote Refinery which shall fully come on stream.”

The President added that his administration is currently carrying out other power projects to “strengthen the reliability of our transmission lines and optimize the integrity of our National grid.”

Tinubu had earlier admitted that the past year 2023 was a “very challenging one” as it was eventful in several ways.

He made it known that the transition of power from his predecessor, Muhammadu Buhari, was “peaceful, orderly and successful,” and subsequently marked “another remarkable step in Nigeria’s 24 years of “unbroken democracy.”

The President added that his administration is ensuring constant food supply, security, and affordability by stepping up plans to cultivate 500,000 hectares of farmlands across the country to grow maize, rice, wheat, millet, and other staple crops.

Tinubu cited his 13 foreign trips in the last seven months, saying, “My message to investors and other business people has been the same; Nigeria is ready and open for business.”

Over the years, past governments have lacked the wherewithal to maintain and improve the nation’s erratic power supply, despite the allocation of funds to speed up the nation’s electricity generation and transmission.

There have been a series of reported cases of vandalism on power facilities across the country – from theft of electric cables to destruction of transformers

It was reported that an official of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps died as a result of the bombing of three power transmission towers by vandals along Maiduguri-Damaturu, the Transmission Company of Nigeria announced on Friday, December 29,

The Federal Government through the Niger Delta Power Holding Company signed a Power Purchase Agreement with utility companies to distribute a total of about 250MW across the country.

A document obtained from NDPHC revealed that the power sale transactions have been signed since the inception of the ‘Light Up Nigeria’ program currently running under Vice President Shettima.

Likewise, the TCN raised the alarm over indiscriminate buildings on its Right of Ways in Enugu State.

It also lamented the death of 21 power projects in the southeast region since 2019, blaming it on the activities of the residents.

The General Manager (Transmission) Enugu Region, Emmanuel Akpa, who disclosed this during a press conference in Enugu State, stated that while such projects had since been completed in other parts of the country, those awarded in the South East region had suffered sabotage and litigations from the residents, even when the Federal Government had paid the necessary compensations.

He said, “This is very disturbing because these contracts have been completed in other zones. These contracts were awarded to take the 132KVA to some places to boost economic activities since 2009. There are power stations where work has been abandoned due to litigation and contests over land.

“These projects were conceived to galvanize business in those areas. The government paid for the way lift but from there till now, the projects have not been completed because of the selfish demands of our people. Even the ones built are now being vandalized”.