All Progressives Congress (APC) spokesman, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said on Thursday that the ruling party would use “radical means” to fulfill its promises on power to Nigerians, rather than follow the conventional methods.
Mohammed said this in Abuja while addressing stakeholders in energy sector at a one-day electricity market conference organised by Stratex pro, a private stakeholder in the sector.
“ One of the promises APC made to the electorate in 2015 general election was that it would increase the capacity as well stabilise power in Nigeria.
“Nigerians would judge APC government in 2019 general elections on the level of power stability in the country.
“To guarantee that APC fulfills this promise, it has to think-out -of box to ensure that this promise is fulfilled, otherwise it would not be able to face the electorate in next election,’’ he said.
Mohammed said that the Federal Government would use solar energy as a means to ensure that Nigerians got adequate power in the country.
According to him, APC will use small scale method of power generation and encourage small scale power investors to invest in the industry.
He said if government could encourage 20 investors to invest one mega watt of power per person, this would amount to 20 Mega Watts and it would radically increase the quantum of power.
Mohammed explained that the old method of waiting for five or six years to build Hydro or Thermal plants would not allow APC to fulfill its promise of stable power in Nigeria.
He explained that there were two things currently working for APC.
He said they were integrity Nigerians had on President Muhammud Buhari and his leadership which all Nigerians invested on.
Mohammed added that even though APC had not done anything on power,since it took over the government, yet power had stabilised.
He said if APC could increase and stablise the power situation, it would be easy to achieve its promise of creating many jobs.
Earlier, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Power, Dr Godknows Igali, called on the Federal Government to assist the investors on solar power by getting access to land from state governments.
He said that many investors who wanted to invest on solar energy found it difficult to acquire land and C of O from state governments to establish their projects.
According to him, much has been done by Federal Government to develop power industry in the country.
He listed Zungeru Hydro Power Station that would produce 700 MW and Mambilla Hydro Power Plant that would also produce 3,500 MW as some of the plants government was building.
Igali explained that the major challenges facing power production in Nigeria were the North and South loops which had not been fixed.
He said when government fixed them, they would stablise energy supply in the country.
According him, there is enough gas for the thermal plants currently.
He added that vandalism on gas pipes and other power gadgets had reduced, hence the nation’s energy crisis would soon be history.
Igali assured the nation that the stability being enjoyed today was not a fluke because much had been done by government to stabilise the sector.
Mrs Victoria Osumor, the Market Operator of TCN, said that metering was the major issue in the energy industry now.
According to her, if tackled, it will assist to curb the challenges being faced in the sector.
The Chairman of the occasion, Dr Shamsudeen Usman, who was a former Minister of National Planning, said the current government must set targets for its minister of power, to make an impact on the sector.
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According to him, the government could do this by checking how many system collapses a minister encountered in his tenure.
Usman said that through this means, the productivity of the minister could be measured, adding that the nation needed the mechanism to trace the performance of past power ministers.
Dr Noel Akpata, the Chief Executive Officer of Stratex Pro and the convener of the conference, said that the event would be held annually.
Akpata said the idea was to ensure that stakeholders in the sector brainstormed to find solutions to the country’s energy crisis.
He explained that resolutions reached from time to time on the meeting would be conveyed to Mr President to assist him in fixing the nation’s power challenges.
