Hmmm....okoooo.....President Goodluck Jonathan says
Nigeria’s power sector will be fully privatised in two years if the
current government is given the mandate to continue after the next
general elections.
He said on attainment of the feat in
2017, the Federal Government would take for granted the sector which he
assured would be up and running.
The Federal Government had, in November
2013, privatised the generation and distribution segments of the power
sector; remaining the transmission arm, which had also been earmarked
for privatisation in the future.
The
President spoke on Friday in Ogun State at the unveiling of the
National Integrated Power Project 750 megawatts Olorunsogo II power
station run by the Niger Delta Power Holding Company.
The NIPP was conceived in 2004 as a
fast-track government funded initiative to add significant generation,
transmission and distribution capacity to Nigeria’s electricity supply
system.
This is sequel to the power sector reform
initiative aimed at transforming the inefficient public sector-run
monopoly into a more efficient competitive electricity industry that is
private sector-led, but with adequate government regulation to ensure
that the industry growth is aligned closely with the nation’s economic
and social development objectives.
Jonathan said, “Government wants 100 per
cent private sector takeover of the power sector within two years. Then,
we can take for granted the issue of power like other countries where
the sector has been stabilised.”
The President, who pointed that he was
not in Ogun State to campaign for votes, said Nigerians should support
the continuation of the transformation agenda.
He, therefore, did not make further comments on the forth-coming elections.
According to him, the private sector
reform remained a priority of the current government, and is targeted at
widening the horizon of the transformation agenda.
He added, “Electricity remains the pivot
of our industrialisation drive, and we have the resources within to
realise this. We are also lucky we have enough gas to generate the power
required.”
Jonathan also revealed that the country was exploring other available alternative energy sources to complement electric power.
Also speaking at the forum, the Minister
of Power, Prof. Chinedu Nebo, said the unveiling of the NIPP 750MW
Olorunsogo II power station was a clear proof that the government was
committed to bringing power into every home in the country.
He said the move was in tandem with the October 2010 power sector roadmap developed by the government.
Nebo said the actual and available power
generated in the country was 5,000MW, of which the NIPP are contributing
2,500MW to the national grid.
According to Nebo, the ability to wheel
the available capacity lies with the Transmission Company of Nigeria,
which currently has the potential to wheel 6,000MW of power generated.
He said the improvement in the services
of the TCN was the function of the capital investments of the current
government in power infrastructure.
He, however, decried the activities of
vandals who had continued to attack gas pipelines every time the country
generated over 4,000MW of power.
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