12th March, 2024
By Paul Dada
Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu says the Federal Government has set the target of generating 6,000 megawatts of electric power in the next six months.
Adelabu, however, said it would be up to distribution companies (DisCos) to adequately distribute what is generated. Nigeria currently generates 4,000 megawatts.
The Power Minister said said DisCos must recapitalise stating that those of them who do not perform well would be sanctioned.
“What we are witnessing now is not acceptable. The situation is getting worse about the level of power supply to Nigerians. We’ve all been working day and night to ensure that we reverse this situation. I am confident that very soon this situation will be fully resolved.
“I want to reassure Nigerians that what we’re experiencing is temporary. We are addressing the root causes of all these issues. I am confident that we’re going to have some cash injection in terms of payments,”he said.
Adding, Adelabu said: “Any DisCo that is found wanting will be severely dealt with because their actions or inactions directly affect the performance of the sector. I’ve discussed with the Chairman of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC).
“If we ramp up generation to 6,000 megawatts as planned in three to six months, if we ramp up our infrastructure in transmission to get power to the DisCos, if the DisCos are not picking up this power, it amounts to nothing.
“Willful refusal to take up supplied power by the DisCos is a qualified basis for revocation of license also. So, they should not frustrate our effort in generation and the transmission”.