Fashola

We have nonetheless developed a 3 (THREE) year plan to cover 42 (Forty-Two) bridges that will require about N277 Billion authorization by Parliament over the period.

I must also point out that we received representation from parliamentarians about roads in their constituencies and from the monthly FRSC reports all of which have been factored into our next three-year plan.

How far we go, how much we get and how much we can do, now depends on how much money the country can get, and how much she gets approval to spend.

POWER

Following the privatization in 2013, the ministry is now largely a policymaker, and regulator through NERC [Nigerian electricity regulatory commission] and is now only directly responsible for expansion and maintenance of the transmission line through (TCN) and completion of projects started before the privatization which were uncompleted and about which I will share a few details.

The story in power is not different from that of works in terms of uncompleted projects in transmission.

As I said in my meeting briefly, we inherited over 100 transmission projects for which contractors were not paid for about three years.

This not only resulted in stoppage of work, laying off of workers, but left projects uncompleted.

But it also resulted in contractors abandoning over 800 containers, which contained transformers, switches, panels and other equipment needed as materials to complete transmission projects because they could not pay for them.

To compound the situation there was no provision in the budget of 2015 to pay them as only N5 Billion was budgeted for the Ministry of Power.

All this has changed. The ministry has N24 Billion for 2016 and has started paying contractors and getting the necessary approvals for them to return to work.

Examples of these are in Sokoto, Maiduguri, Okada, Alagbon, Damboa, Nasarawa, Gurara, Osogbo, Kashimbilla, Kumbotso, Ikot Ikpene to mention a few.

This puts a lie to the narrative that the transmission grid is static at 5000 MW and is not expanding because these projects add to the capacity.

Furthermore, with the budget we have started paying the shipping companies and warehouse owners who kept custody of the containers, and the report I received last week indicates that a first batch of about 400 containers will be released to contractors to go out and do their work.

In addition to transmission, we are working to complete uncompleted power generation projects to deliver on the incremental power program of our roadmap of incremental, steady and uninterrupted power.

Some of the projects that should start coming to conclusion in 2017 are the 215 MW Kaduna Power, 40 MW Kashimbilla Power (Hydro), 40 MW Gurara I Power (Hydro), 29 MW Dadin Kowa Power (Hydro), 10 MW Katsina Power (Wind) 1,125 MW (14 Solar projects) and the 240 MW Emergency Power Project for Afam (Gas).

We are working with the generation companies to increase their power generation capacity through repairs and maintenance.

Egbin has restored all its turbines even though it has suffered a gas outage as a result of vandalization.

Kainji, Jebba and Shiroro have increased the number of functional turbines, so they are producing 300 MW extra power during this year’s rainy season, more than they did last year.

As at 5 November 2016, reports reaching me from the control center showed a peak generation of 4010 MW, and this is without the 3000 MW lost to gas pipe vandalization.

I am aware that efforts are in progress to repair and restore the damaged gas pipelines, and also to fast-track emergency gas supply.

Government has also recently provided a guarantee to ensure supply of gas to Calabar power plant, which has power and transmission, but no gas to operate efficiently.

On the distribution side, we continue to work with the DisCos to improve their customer service and in particular meters supply.

As you heard on a recent TV program hosted by Channels TV called ‘The Crux’ some of the local meter manufacturing companies attest now to improvement in orders to supply of meters.

As you will have also seen, I have been involved in meter distribution flag offs in Kano, Benin and Sokoto.

All told, while there is still work to do, and there is the big problem of liquidity to overcome, the promise ahead looks good, the plans are clear and our resolve to implement is unwavering.

2017 AND BEYOND – POWER

Going forward we intend to roll out our Rural Electrification Implementation program which Mr. President has now approved as required by the law.

Our objective is to improve access to power for rural communities.

You will have heard of our education intervention project, which is indeed a rural electrification implementation project.

We are using universities as one of the anchors because they are in rural areas and they represent a quick way to penetrate the rural areas and also expand to villages and towns in rural areas, close to the Universities.

We are starting with 37 federal universities, seven teaching hospitals, to which we plan to deploy 37 independent power plants of nine gas plants, and 28 solar plants to guarantee a cumulative 120 MW, to replace 1,105 generators that are producing a wasteful 210 MW.

We have done the audits and planning of all the schools and if we get financing authorization we can implement, to provide access to power to our people in the rural areas.

The second anchor of our Rural intervention is the use of small Hydro dams; that are in the rural areas to support agriculture and Agro processing by providing power.

The approval for the first 6 (SIX) is pending for consideration by the Federal Executive Council.

All of these sources of power, with embedded power from Paras Energy 40 MW gas in Lagos, the expected completion of Azura power in Edo, expected gas supply to Ihorbor Gas power plant, Gegeru power, Olorunsogo, Omotosho, Gbarain and others make me hopeful that we can get incremental power.

How well we do with making the incremental power steady and ultimately uninterrupted will depend on how we as a people resolve issues like vandalization, electricity theft, electricity conservation, invocation of court powers in utility regulation and of course strikes.