Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP), says his solution to Nigeria’s electricity crisis is
most proactive.
In a series of tweets on Thursday, the former vice-president
claimed that his policy was aimed at attracting optimal investments in the
power sector.
On Wednesday, electricity workers embarked on industrial
action and shut down major power stations.
But power supply was restored after the workers agreed to
suspend the strike for two weeks – yielding to the federal government’s pleas.
Reacting to the development, Abubakar said the issue should
not have affected all states in the country.
Abubakar added that he would remove electricity from the
exclusive list of the federal government to prevent such occurrences.
The presidential candidate also noted that he has no
interest in any generator company.
“Having keenly
observed developments in the power sector within the last 24 hours, I am again
convinced that my solution to the electricity crisis, as encapsulated in my
policy document, ‘my covenant with Nigerians’, remains the most proactive plan
to lead Nigeria out of darkness,” he said.
“In this regard, my approach is to first remove the entire
electricity value chain from the exclusive list and give states the power to
generate, transmit and distribute electricity for themselves.
“An industrial dispute with the FG in Abuja should not
affect an industry in Lagos or a factory in Aba or in Kano or even an average
Nigerian who just wants to get home, watch the news and sleep under a ceiling
fan.
“Secondly, my policy shall aim at achieving greater
coordination of investments in the entire electricity value chain.
“Investments in
additional generation capacity are futile without consideration for the
complementary transmission and distribution infrastructure to wheel the
additional energy.
“Any investment in additional generation capacity would be
competitively procured considering a viable mix of renewable (hydro, solar,
wind and biofuels) and non-renewable (coal, gas) options for energy security.
“Thirdly, ahead of procuring additional generation, both
transmission and distribution capacities would be enhanced with government and
private sector support for investments.
“In this regard, we shall incentivise private investors to
invest in the development of multiple green-field mini-grid transmission
systems to be looped into the super-grip in the medium to long term while
allowing the FG to focus on policy, regulation, and standardisation.
“My aspiration to be
president is to protect the interest of the average Nigerian in all
circumstances, and on this, I stand to say that I have no interest either
directly or indirectly in any generator company, as has been publicly
revealed.”
In March, the national assembly passed a constitutional
reform bill to “allow states generate, transmit and distribute electricity in
areas covered by the national grid”.
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