Minister Advises Nigerians against Purchase of Electricity Infrastructure

 

The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu has told Nigerians to stop buying electricity infrastructure, including transformers and poles, saying it is the responsibility of the Distribution companies (Discos) to provide infrastructure for service delivery.

 

The Minister said this while paying a courtesy call on the Oyo State governor, Seyi Makinde, at the Governor’s Office, Agodi Secretariat, Ibadan.

 

He told Governor Makinde that as the Oyo state’s representative in the Federal cabinet, the visit had nothing to do with politics, but governance, adding that he came to seek ways and means of collaboration with the state government.

 

Adelabu said the visit is to critically assess the power sector through extensive consultations with the stakeholders across the board, to unanimously agree on strategic implementation plans for the improvement, upgrade, modernisation and transformation of the power sector for uninterrupted power supply.

 

The minister noted that it is the responsibility of Discos to provide the infrastructure required to deliver their services since it would be paid for by consumers, warning that President Bola Tinubu frowns at situations where communities would be forced to purchase infrastructure, while electricity distribution companies take ownership of same to provide services that customers will still pay for.

 

Adelabu, who urged Nigerians to desist from paying for darkness, said constant and stable power supply is one of the main focuses of the present administration, noting that when people have a 24-hour power supply, they can pay double for electricity because they have been saved the money to power generators.

 

The minister appealed for more security consciousness on power infrastructure and advised Nigerians to report any strange movement around power infrastructure across the country to security agencies, to reduce the spate of attacks and vandalisation on the facilities.

 

He said: “Some people are working to destroy our national assets, it is our responsibility to protect them collectively. When you notice any strange movement around our national assets, let us escalate it and report it to security agencies. We can do it individually. We have the support of Mr President, the National Security Adviser and all security agencies.

 

“We have seen the destruction of transmission wires in some parts of the country. These are assets that cost billions of naira to install. It is a fight that must be jointly fought,” Adelabu affirmed.

Welcoming the minister, Governor Makinde congratulated him on his appointment and expressed gratitude to God for safety when Adelabu was involved in a plane crash recently, saying his government does not mix politics with governance and would give the minister the support needed to succeed while welcoming interventions that can make life better for the people of the state.

 

He said: “For us in Oyo State, the game changer is the Electricity Act 2023. We have started taking advantage of the new electricity law already and I should be signing the Oyo State version of the law by the end of this week or early next week because it has been passed by the House of Assembly.

 

“Honourable Minister, let me assure you that we don’t see any problem in giving credit to whoever deserves it. If it is the Federal Government that assists us to get anything, we are ready to work together,” the governor explained.

 

Makinde disclosed that the Rural Electrification Agency of the Federal Government and the Oyo State Rural Electrification Board had been working together because the state had the largest landmass in the entire South-West, and expressed optimism that more could be achieved.

During the visit, the Minister inspected the 132KV Oluewu Transmission Sub-station in Oyo Town and commissioned a 100Kwh solar mini-grid in Adafila, Ogbomoso, under rural electrification projects.

 

He also paid a courtesy call on the Soun of Ogbomoso, Oba Ghandi Afolabi Olaoye, in his Ogbomoso Palace.

 

 

Dominica Nwabufo