The Federal Executive Council (FEC) Wednesday, approved N1.4 billion for the supply of more equipment to the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) to boost electricity supply across the country.
Minister of Power, Mr Abubakar Aliyu, made this known when he briefed State House Correspondents on the outcome of the Council’s meeting, presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari, in Abuja.
Aliyu said the activities of saboteurs and insecurity in the country are responsible for the current challenges experienced in the power sector.
According to the minister, recent incidents including fatal attacks and abduction of foreign workers had delayed progress in completing some projects.
He added that attacks on installations had resulted in major power cuts.
“You’re all aware this country is facing a lot of challenges. It’s not only in the power sector alone, you have just heard about the insecurity. The railway and the communities are being attacked, oil pipelines. They’re all similar things, including the power sector,” the minister said.
“You can call it a sabotage because, how can somebody go and pull down a 330 (megawatt) tower to cause this havoc to the whole country? What do you call that?
“Not quite long, on January 4, the project that we had announced that we’re going to commission, the Zungeru 700 megawatts hydro, which is at present over 92 percent completion, we’re just doing little touches to commission the project.
“There was an attack on January 4 this year, and they abducted the Chinese workers. Up till now, they’re still with the captives. The Chinese cannot return to work until they get their brothers out.
“So, they are working minimally, we have like three sites on the whole project; the main dam, which on the 28th of March we have commissioned one of the turbines and passed it, we did the tests and it has passed, it was celebrated. They are working there in the main hydro.
“Then there is a line of over 30 kilometers to a switchyard. So, they’re not working on the switchyard on the line and if they don’t finish these two, you cannot evacuate. Even the turbine that we have commissioned and tested is just dry testing, you cannot take electricity out because of the line and the tripping point. That’s where the switchyard is and this was where they attacked and killed some people, took away some of them, the foreign workers, about three.
“So, we believe they are all working together, just as the minister of information said.”
The minister, therefore, called for the cooperation of Nigerians in putting an end to the various issues.
He said there is a need to work together as a nation to support the government and face the challenges together.
Any support you can give, give that support,” he said.
