Stop Power Theft, Vandalism To Boost Electricity Supply – Power Minister

The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, has called for an end to power theft, vandalism of electricity installations and sabotage of the sector.

Chief Adebayo, who made this call in Abuja yesterday, while declaring open the 2023 Power Correspondents Association of Nigeria (PCAN), annual workshop, said that would enable the sector to make progress.

This is as the Minister said, the Electricity Act 2023, is a cornerstone for energy efficiency in Nigeria.

Represented by the director of Training, Transmission, Mr. Nosike Emmanuel, the Minister noted that a key part of the 2023 Electricity Act is the development of the Integrated National Electricity Policy and Strategic Implementation Plan.

“For the sector to progress, we must advocate against power theft, vandalism and educate consumers against sabotage,” he said.

Adelabu said they are working with the National Council on Power (NCP) to develop and send the implementation strategy to the Federal Executive Council (FEC) for approval.

“Also, part of the strategy in our road map is the emphasis on the bottom-up approach, unlike the top-down approach of the past. The implication of the bottom-up approach is that we will prioritise Metering, Distribution and Transmission infrastructure. We will focus on Customers down to distribution and transmission infrastructure in the short term, this is to ensure that a significant portion of what is generated currently gets to the end users.

“We will also pay attention to the generation segment particularly in areas of distributed (embedded) power from renewable energy sources, while at the same time, advancing baseload power through thermal and hydro plants in the medium to long term. We will further explore our regional energy potentials,” he said.

The minister noted that the government and the critical stakeholders will focus on solar energy in the North, mini hydro power plants in the Middle belt and the Southwest, hybridised with solar while coastal states will be identified for wind energy utilisation.

He said that with the liberalisation of the sector, Nigerians will soon start to experience the objective that led to the Act which is to improve power supply across the country.

The chairman of PCAN, Obas Esiedesa, said the workshop, from inception, was intended to create an opportunity to build the capacity of journalists covering the Power sector, as well as create an avenue for journalists to interact with industry players and regulators.

He recalled that “On November 1, 2013, the federal government handed over the distribution and most generation assets to the private sector, marking the beginning of private investment into the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry”.

The chairman regretted that expectations raised by the entrance of private entrepreneurs into the sector have largely remained unmet.

According to him, “10 years down the line, the time has come for the federal government to take a holistic review of the entire Power sector privatisation. Not necessarily taking away the assets from operators, but finding solutions to the huge challenges facing the industry. It is worrying to note that with over 13,000 megawatts of installed capacity, the industry is still struggling to deliver 4,000MW of electricity consistently. That is why as a group, we welcome the new initiative by the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, that has specifically targeted the distribution sector and the consumers”.

He said that transmission and distribution networks remain the biggest obstacles to efficiency and effective electricity supply in the country.

Esiedesa, also called for sincerity in the implementation of the new initiative.