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The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, has addressed the recent power outages experienced in 17 northern states, adding that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has no intention of discriminating against any region, as has been wrongly insinuated by some people.
According to him, “What happened regarding the power outage in the past days was not deliberate but unfortunate. It is not a situation we want to repeat. If it happens again, we need to have a permanent solution to it.”
The Minister of Power stated that the Federal Government is determined to boost the electricity supply to revive the nation’s industries and enhance its economy. Chief Adelabu made this statement during a stakeholders’ meeting at the headquarters of the Kano Electricity Distribution Company (KEDCO) on Thursday.
He emphasised, “The situation is worrisome and unfortunate. The President does not intend to discriminate against any region. We all voted for him as Nigerians, and he has all of us at heart.”
“This proactive approach aims to ensure that the region is prepared for any eventuality, including vandalism or national grid collapse,” he said.
Adelabu recognised the crucial roles played by various stakeholders in achieving these objectives.
He highlighted the need to explore alternative power sources to serve as a backup to the National Grid, as this has become necessary to curtail future occurrences of National Grid collapses.
He stressed the need to revamp the transmission architecture in the North, which currently relies heavily on the Shiroro and Jos channels.
“This radial system leaves the Northern region vulnerable to electricity disruptions whenever issues arise with these lines,” he said.
He, therefore, urged KEDCO and other Discos across the country to intensify efforts to make meters available to consumers to ensure effective service delivery.
Adelabu, however, called on the state government to collaborate with the ministry in investing in power generation and distribution.
He explained that the power sector has been decentralised, with ten states enjoying the leverage to generate power, though Kano is not among them. He called on the state to tap into this opportunity.
“There is a need to partner with us in generation and distribution. The federal government is ready to collaborate, as there are many projects left uncompleted that can lead to significant losses,” he stated.
Speaking on behalf of the Kano State governor, the Chief of Staff, Bala Sagagi, said a huge amount of money was lost due to the power outage that lasted for nine days in the 17 northern states.
Aside from that, many industries in Kano seriously felt the negative impact of the lack of power, while others were still counting their losses due to the incident.
He, however, disclosed the readiness of the state government to partner with the federal government to enhance the power supply for the teeming masses.
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