FG inaugurates power sector working group

The Federal Government, through the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, has inaugurated the Ministerial Power Sector Working Group, involving different agencies and commissions.

In a statement by the Special Adviser to the Minister of Power on Strategic Communication and Media Relations, Bolaji Tunji, the inauguration took place on Tuesday in Abuja with directors and agencies under the supervision of the ministry signing performance contracts to ensure proper tracking and supervision of projects.

He disclosed that the agencies forming the working group included the Transmission Company of Nigeria, the Rural Electrification Agency, the National Power Training Institute, the Nigerian Electricity Management and Safety Agency, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, and the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading.

Speaking at the event, the minister said the inauguration of the working group would serve as a platform for supervision, monitoring and oversight control.

He added that it would also help to clarify issues with a detailed explanation of happenings in the sector.

Adelabu, who acknowledged the existence of the meeting in the past, noted that it was necessary to re-introduce and improve on it, emphasising that the major reason for re-introducing the meeting of the working group was to create a platform for information sharing, dissemination and sector-wide communication, which he described as key to greater productivity.

 He revealed that the meeting of the working group would serve more like a backup for sectoral coordination and centralised project management.

The minister added that the meeting would further serve as a training platform and a “refresher opportunity for optimum representation of the power sector”.

 He enjoined the working group to work hard to achieve the set target.

 “What we are doing at the end of the meeting is to ensure the signing of the performance contract which is like a bond that will compel every one of us to deliver on our target.

“In November 2023, as the minister of power, I signed a performance contract with the President, which actually summarised what the President expects from us.

“Now, we have cascaded that contract down to the departments and agencies that will contribute to the overall achievement of what we signed with Mr President,” he stated.

The PUNCH reported earlier that Adelabu has threatened to sanction nonperforming agencies.