Adelabu: We’re correcting 60 years of inaction in power sector

Adebayo Adelabu, minister of power, says the ministry is correcting over 60 years of inaction in the electricity sector.

Adelabu spoke while receiving members of the civil-military committee on energy security in his office on Wednesday.

In a statement issued on Thursday by Bolaji Tunji, special adviser to the minister of power, Adelabu expressed displeasure over the rate at which power infrastructure is being vandalised across the nation.

He said vandals destroy national assets and deprive the government of the ability to provide stable and affordable electricity to homes, industries, and all critical sectors of the economy.

“It is shameful for a nation of over 200 million people to still be on 5,000MW of electricity at this age. Let me tell you that some of the transformers we are still using today are 64 years old,” he said.

“How do you want such to give you what you desire at this age? Those maintaining them do not even understand them again.

“This is a reflection of the actions and inactions of the past 60 years. We have not done what is right in this sector in the past 60 years and that is what we are correcting now.

“So, President Bola Tinubu desires to move away from this narrative and give Nigerians what they deserve in terms of energy and power supply and that is what we are set to achieve in the ministry now.

“We want to eradicate energy poverty among Nigerians. Our focus now is to engender a new energy development for Nigeria that will make electricity available to all Nigerians, where they reside.”

He said the power sector is a priority to the present administration and when “we get it right here, all other sectors will also get it right”.

The minister pointed out that as the government steps up efforts to give Nigerians access to reliable, clean, and reasonably-priced electricity, the federal government has started taking steps to safeguard the country’s vital power infrastructure.

Adelabu said the federal government has been extremely concerned about the issue of vandalism and that it is being treated with the utmost seriousness.