The Minster of Power, Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola, says privatisation of the nation’s power sector has improved efficiency in the electricity value chain. Fashola said this when he featured on the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Forum in Abuja on Wednesday.
He said that the involvement of private investors in the sector had resulted in the revamping and routine maintenance of electricity equipment, especially the various power plants in the country. “As for the power plants, I have been to some; I have been to the three hydro plants in Niger State — the one in Shiroro, Jebba and Kainji.
“I have been to Egbin in Lagos; I have been to some transmission access in most of the North Central part of the country. “What I can say is that progress is being made; many more transmission lines are being completed.
“Many more transmission stations are being upgraded in terms of equipment, transformers and all of the equipment that they need. “As for the power generation plants from Jebba to Kaniji to Shiroro, between the time when the privatisation was completed in 2013 and when the investors took over, the message is clear. “It is an improved efficiency in what they are doing by the investments they are making.“
He said that routine maintenance were ongoing on the various turbines, adding that no maintenance had been done on the plants over the years. “In Shiroro, one of the gates that controls the flow of water had been down since 2010 and no attention was paid to it. “ It is a potential source of danger in very high water season to destroy many facilities there, but they brought in; the engineers, the divers, it was under repair when I was visited there.’’
The minister said that the involvement of private investors in the running of electricity had led to a major turn-around of the turbines. “We had turbines that were down; routine maintenance had not be down since 1985, but major turn-around is being done. “In Egbin, 4 turbines were down out of 6, and all the turbines are now back and work has been going on, so it is work in progress.“
He explained that the advancement that eluded the nation’s electricity sector in its 60 years of existence, was being achieve in three years of post- privatisation of the sector. Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday
Advertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily users
Suddenly what the previous administration embarked on is making sense abi? I thought APC called the privatisation process a sham. Where is their own plan and vision? Nowhere. Soon they will scatter this one and pass the cost to the masses. Nonsense.
ReplyDeleteYoruba grammar, any thing APC good but non APC bad
ReplyDeleteI tire for this government nothing good to read about them conny government
ReplyDelete