‘I will lead Nigeria out of darkness’ — Atiku speaks on plans for power sector

Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), says his solution to Nigeria’s electricity crisis is most proactive.

In a series of tweets on Thursday, the former vice-president claimed that his policy was aimed at attracting optimal investments in the power sector.

On Wednesday, electricity workers embarked on industrial action and shut down major power stations.

But power supply was restored after the workers agreed to suspend the strike for two weeks – yielding to the federal government’s pleas.

Reacting to the development, Abubakar said the issue should not have affected all states in the country.

Abubakar added that he would remove electricity from the exclusive list of the federal government to prevent such occurrences. 

The presidential candidate also noted that he has no interest in any generator company.

“Having keenly observed developments in the power sector within the last 24 hours, I am again convinced that my solution to the electricity crisis, as encapsulated in my policy document, ‘my covenant with Nigerians’, remains the most proactive plan to lead Nigeria out of darkness,” he said.

“In this regard, my approach is to first remove the entire electricity value chain from the exclusive list and give states the power to generate, transmit and distribute electricity for themselves.

“An industrial dispute with the FG in Abuja should not affect an industry in Lagos or a factory in Aba or in Kano or even an average Nigerian who just wants to get home, watch the news and sleep under a ceiling fan.

“Secondly, my policy shall aim at achieving greater coordination of investments in the entire electricity value chain.

“Investments in additional generation capacity are futile without consideration for the complementary transmission and distribution infrastructure to wheel the additional energy.

“Any investment in additional generation capacity would be competitively procured considering a viable mix of renewable (hydro, solar, wind and biofuels) and non-renewable (coal, gas) options for energy security.

“Thirdly, ahead of procuring additional generation, both transmission and distribution capacities would be enhanced with government and private sector support for investments.

“In this regard, we shall incentivise private investors to invest in the development of multiple green-field mini-grid transmission systems to be looped into the super-grip in the medium to long term while allowing the FG to focus on policy, regulation, and standardisation.

“My aspiration to be president is to protect the interest of the average Nigerian in all circumstances, and on this, I stand to say that I have no interest either directly or indirectly in any generator company, as has been publicly revealed.”

In March, the national assembly passed a constitutional reform bill to “allow states generate, transmit and distribute electricity in areas covered by the national grid”.