By Obas Esiedesa, Abuja
Twenty months after taking office as the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, has attributed the current challenges in the power sector to the failure of previous administrations to effectively implement reforms.
In a statement released by his Special Adviser on Strategic Communications and Media Relations, Bolaji Tunji, the minister emphasised that, unlike past governments, the current administration is adopting a different and more effective approach to addressing the sector’s longstanding issues.
Adelabu made the remarks while receiving a delegation from the World Bank in Abuja.
His comments came two days after power generation companies (GenCos) warned of imminent shutdowns of power plants nationwide due to a massive N4 trillion debt owed by the Federal Government.
According to a statement by Col. Sani Bello (Rtd), Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Association of Power Generation Companies (APGC), the GenCos are currently owed N2 trillion for electricity supplied in 2024, in addition to N1.9 trillion in legacy debts.
This means that N2 trillion of the total debt was accumulated under the supervision of Adelabu.
But the Minister blamed the neglect of the sector by the past administrations for the rot and the degeneration that the sector is passing through, adding that there has been significant improvement since President Tinubu took over.
“We actually have a past that we are not proud of. Over the years, we have only been paying lip service to transforming the power sector. We have not walked the talk. Previous administrations have kept on doing the same thing all the time and you cannot get different results for that, which is why we have decided to do things differently this time. In all the segments across the sector, we must run away from the past.”
The minister lamented the neglect of power infrastructure, which has contributed to the present problems in the sector.
“How will you explain the kind of infrastructure that we put together for our transmission network across the country? Thousands of kilometres of power line, thousands of power transformers, hundreds of thousands of distribution transformers that we have not maintained over time and expect them to keep sustaining our energy supply. It is not possible,” he said.
“How do we allow our people to be vandalising infrastructure and expect stable electricity? So, how do you have a sector with over 12 million customers and our meter is not more than six million and we expect to have a stable industry? No, it’s not possible. So what has happened with past governments?
“In 1984, when the military was in power here, we achieved a 2000 megawatts. Between 1984 and 2023, it took us 40 years to add additional 2000 megawatts. Now we have an average of 5,800 megawatts generation within one and a half years that we came to the office. What I’m saying is that if the past administrations have been adding things like this, we will not be where we are today. And that is why I said that President Tinubu is actually laying the kind of foundation that we need for our country to grow.”
Adelabu commended the support that the sector has received from the World Bank and other partners and implored them to continue in that spirit to ensure that the investment of the current administration succeeds.
“I want to thank you for the support, for the interest you have shown in the development of Nigeria’s power sector. It’s been of immense value to us. And I can imagine without the World Bank, how the sector would have looked like. So we really appreciate what you are doing for us.
“We’ve seen your support in transmission, we’ve seen your support in distribution, we have seen your support in renewable energy, almost in every facet, even in generation,” Adelabu said.
He expressed the commitment of the Federal Government to the issue of power and reiterated the fact that the power sector is the vehicle that drives all the other sectors of the economy.
“One thing that this administration has brought to the table is the seriousness, the determination, the commitment to make sure that the power sector is transformed. That’s why it’s good to have a practical businessman, a practical finance person and politician at the helm of affairs, like President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“He fully understands what it takes for the transformation of a country. And he believes that energy is actually the foundation to transform all other sectors. There’s very little you can achieve in your agriculture sector, in your transportation sector, in your defence, education, health, without stable and efficient electricity supply. That is why the President is really focusing on this, and he is supporting whatever we need to do to make sure that we transform this sector. He is ready to give us that support.
“We entered into Siemens contract since 2019. We never lifted a finger until 2023, when this government came on board. So you can now imagine since this President came in and now look at the mileage we have achieved. Even in this Siemens project, the pilot phase is almost completed and that is in less than two years, when in four years we didn’t do anything,” Adelabu said while expressing optimism that the future is bright for the sector.
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