3 months ago
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Nigeria’s Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, has disclosed that he has received threatening calls from unknown individuals opposing progress in the power sector, adding that a cartel threatened by reforms in the sector may be behind the blowing up of power transmission substations in the country.
Speaking on Saturday during Fresh FM’s “Political Circuit” programme in Oyo State, Adelabu acknowledged the challenges in the sector but expressed confidence that they can be overcome.
“There will be resistance, people standing in your way, saboteurs and others. Let me say this for the first time—I receive threat calls,” Adelabu said.
The minister, who is the 49th person to head the power ministry, suggested that his predecessors may have faced similar pressures.
He said, “It does not take ordinary people to blow up a power transmission substation with dynamites or pull down a power line. It is an organised crime—a cabal, a cartel. But we are all Nigerians, and we will not run away from ourselves.”
Reflecting on the sector’s progress during his tenure, Adelabu noted that the country had long struggled with generating 4,000 megawatts (MW) of electricity. However, in less than a year since he took office, Nigeria’s generation capacity has increased by over 1,000MW.
“We have raised the electricity generated capacity from 4,000MW to 5,155MW as of August 8, 2024,” Adelabu said. “In the past, it took the country over 25 years to achieve 2,000MW, and it took from 1984 until now to achieve an additional 2,000MW. Within a year, we’ve added over 1,000MW, and our target is to hit 6,000MW with the support of the Federal Government before the end of this year.”
Adelabu attributed the improvements to a comprehensive analysis of the power sector and the implementation of workable solutions. He highlighted the significance of the Electricity Bill signed into law by President Bola Tinubu, which decentralised control and opened the sector to investment from states and the private sector.
“We conducted many organised retreats to diagnose the entire ministry and find practical solutions to the challenges,” he said. “We implemented supportive policies and reviewed the market to ensure cost-reflective tariffs, while also focusing on infrastructural development, enhancement, and upgrades. We extended power to remote areas through renewable energy and improved security for power assets against saboteurs.”
Adelabu also stressed the importance of energy consumers paying their bills to ensure the continuity and sustainability of the reforms in the power sector. He argued that Nigerians could afford to pay for electricity, especially when considering the costs of running generators.
The minister’s remarks come as Nigeria continues its efforts to improve power generation and distribution across the country.
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