FG: WE’RE NOT SLEEPING ON WORSENING POWER SUPPLY

they must achieve in a year.

“This morning, I want the press to be aware of this meeting. That we are not sleeping. As a body responsible for managing the power sector, we are not unaware of the lingering crisis that's been there for the past four to five weeks. And we are determined, we are resolute in providing lasting solutions.”

Explaining that Nigeria was currently in “a very difficult situation”, Adelabu stated that a lot of people were passing through hardship. He said this was the reason it was difficult to implement cost-reflective tariff. He noted that in the next two to three years, the government intended to exit the current subsidy payment regime.

Adelabu maintained, “Resulting from the high inflation of almost 30 per cent, resulting from the devaluation of the naira, resulting from the subsidy, there is hardship. And everybody feels it. So it's not the time that anybody will call for a total removal of electricity subsidy. No.

“It will sound highly insensitive to the feelings of our people. So what we intend to have in the policy is a roadmap. Probably, two to three years roadmap that will migrate us into a cost-reflective tariff, which means that government subsidy will remain to the end and we will keep reducing it from time to time.”

The minister emphasised that currently, government subsidy was about 66 per cent of tariff being paid by Nigerians for power consumption.

He said a draft policy to be released before the end of this March will see attempts at signing up to a minimum payment assurance for capacity in generating companies to ensure sustainability and stabilisation of generation output.

Speaking after a closed-door meeting with the minister, along with other heads of agencies, TCN Managing Director, Sule Abdulaziz, said all vandalised assets were being fixed, including the Kano facility, which was burnt the previous day.

Abdulaziz also said the vandalism in Abuja was not affecting supply, stressing that the TCN has started using the redundant second line to supply Abuja.

He said ramping up generation won't be a problem for TCN, with its wheeling capacity of 8,500mw.

In his comments, Managing Director of NBET, Dr Nnaemeka Ewelukwa, said there was currently a lot of emphasis on ensuring discipline at the distribution end, since at the heart of contract activation was payment.

Ewelukwa added that there was a commitment on the part of the federal government to come up with the matching funds to ensure that, ultimately, 100 per cent of the Generation Companies (Gencos) invoice was met.

In his remarks, an Executive Director with the Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC), Babayo Shehu, said if the issues around gas supply were sorted out, NDPHC alone could add more than 1,000mw generation instantly.

Shehu stated that the company could even generate about 2,000mw, but currently had an output of below 600mw due to gas challenges.