*Insists 36 state governors must protect critical infrastructure
The Nigerian government, yesterday, revealed that the office of the National Security Adviser, the military and other security agencies are being enlisted to crack down on vandalism of electricity infrastructure built with billions of dollar loans.
This comes as the government returned to the dual-fired 215-megawatt power generation plant in Kaduna, which had been stalled for over 15 years ago promising to complete the project in no time.
The Minister of Power, Adelabu Adebayo, speaking in Kaduna, stated that vandalism of electricity infrastructure remained a national threat at a time when the government was seeking ways to improve power supply to consumers.
The minister also insisted that there is a need for the 36 state governors to protect electricity infrastructure, adding that most of the cases occur in states.
“This is the only way we can deliver stable electricity,” Adelabu said, adding that “the people must be generally vigilant towards the security of electricity infrastructure.”
While the Federal Government awarded the contract in 2009 under the National Integrated Power Project (NIPP), which is being warehoused under the Niger Delta Power Holding Company, the project remained one of the many moribund power sector projects that are not adding value to Nigerians.
Adelabu stressed the need to improve the state of power generation in the country, especially in the northern corridor as he expressed displeasure over the state of the project, adding that the plant would be brought on stream.
“We are here to have a first-hand view of the status of this significant project to the Federal Ministry of Power and Nigerians in general. The project has undergone some difficulties, which we recently resolved, and the project is back. The contractors are back on site,” he said.
Adelabu confirmed the status of the equipment and discussed with contractors and consultants the plan for the project’s completion.
Adelabu said the project has eight turbines of about 27 megawatts each, adding that the generators are there with the turbines, and the transformers are intact.
He said: “You can see that the switchyard is also completed, with a 133 kV switchyard here. So I am very optimistic that very soon, this project will be completed, and Nigerians will start enjoying the output of 215 megawatts of power that will be connected to the national grid.”
The minister emphasized the need for clear agreements with contractors to ensure timely completion, noting that the renewed effort aims to add much-needed capacity to Nigeria’s power grid, providing a significant boost to the country’s energy supply.
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