FG assures of radical improvement in power supply

[bayo4luv]

By retaining the power ministry in his office , Acting President Goodluck Jonathan underscored his determination to personally oversee the resolution of the country's shambolic electricity system. And from his minister of state came a promise that there would be a radical improvement in the availability of electricity in the country in the shortest possible time. 

Nuhu Wya, minister of state for power, gave the pledge yesterday at a forum of top management staff and journalists as he resumed duties in Abuja. He noted that his team needed to put its act together as no director would be allowed to just sit in an air-conditioned office, doing nothing to meet the challenges in the sector. He said the recently constituted power committee chaired by Jonathan intends to keep the promise by fast tracking the linkage of gas pipelines across the country while consolidating on arrangements with the ministry of defence to help protect pipelines and mitigate vandalism; a move Wya enthused would address the unavailability of gas. 

"We have a situation where gas is available in one location in the eastern flank of the country and there are not enough plants to consume the gas whereas in the western flank there are so many plants without adequate gas. There is need for a connection; there are two parallel lines that are not meeting. With that committee which the petroleum ministry is part of, we will fast track the linkage of the gas lines so that gas can circulate from either side of the plants to ensure that there is no shortage," Wya said. 

The power committee is made up representatives of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Ministry of Finance, Bureau of Public Procurement, Bureau of Public e Enterprises, the ministries of petroleum and water resources as well as oil companies, among others. 

"Our immediate objective is to improve on power to the generality of Nigeria, get sufficient gas and reinforce our transmission and distribution networks. We will ensure that whatever has been put on ground is improved and sustained to create an enabling environment for the private sector to come in and invest; to make the power sector a very conducive environment for both the present and new participants in the sector. 

"We are going to explore in the medium term other sources of energy. We have many dams built to tap water resources that have huge hydro electric potentials. We are going to tap into that resource so that we can give Nigerians more electricity and electricity delivered to the point of consumption. "There is no declaration of a state of emergency but we are working in an emergency manner. We are getting all the stakeholders involved to participate in this committee because power is a chain of many stakeholders from the fuel to the generation to the transmission to the distribution and to the consumer," the minister said. Though declining to address the 6,000 mega watt target issue, Wya noted that as soon as the committee meets a clearer picture would be relayed to the public. 

Meanwhile, Wya noted that the committee intends to pursue the power reforms instituted in 2005, adding that staff should not be afraid as reforms do not necessarily lead to job loss. "Anyone who does his job need not be afraid," he said.

FG assures of radical improvement in power supply

[bayo4luv]