FEC approves N211bn power projects as minister blames past governments for poor electricity

The federal executive council (FEC) has approved 16 projects presented by Abubakar Aliyu, minister of power.

The FEC meeting was presided over by Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo at the state house on Thursday.

Speaking with reporters at the end of the meeting, Aliyu said the total cost of the projects is N211,203,901,210.

The minister blamed the erratic power supply in the country on the lack of attention paid to the development of the sector in the past.

He said the present administration has done more than its predecessors to ensure that Nigerians enjoy improved supply of electricity.

“Today, I presented to the council 16 memos, which I seek for council’s approval and the council graciously approved all of them. At this point, let me say what these approvals will do to the nation’s electricity supply,” Aliyu said.

“As we’re all aware, the major problem we’re having in the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI) is to be able to evacuate sufficient electricity and distribute them. That is to say, we have a very weak transmission grid and distribution segment of the value chain.

“We may not be having much problem with generation. So, unless we’re able to strengthen the electricity grid, which is nationwide, and to expand, and to be able to evacuate, what the grid can take to consumers, we will have a lot of problems ahead of us.

“So, what we’re doing currently through various and several interventions is to be able to repair the grid by constructing new transmission lines, bringing in new equipments to replace the old ones at our substations.

“So, the operational capacity, as you all know now is hovering around 5,000 megawatts and the transmission and distribution. So, these projects that we brought to council today and got approvals are all geared towards strengthening the willing capacity of the transmission and towards distribution.

“Even though as you all know, the distribution segment of the NESI is been privatised, but we cannot fold our arms and allow them to continue not to do much in order to evacuate what the transmission can bring. So, these memos, although 16 of them but they’re all geared towards achieving what I’ve just explained.”

The minister added that the federal government has placed an order for power equipment while assuring that Nigerians will soon see the outcome of the ongoing investments.