A US based Non Governmental Organization, Socio Political Forum, USA has sent a congratulatory message to Nigeria’s President-elect, General Muhammadu Buhari on his victory at the just concluded polls. Speaking in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA, the chairman of the Forum, Chief Richard Nwabuzor, said that Buhari’s victory indicates that a new dawn had began for Nigeria. Chief Richard asked the President-elect to be courageous, even as he advised All Progressives Congress (APC) which floated Buhari to fulfill it’s campaign manifesto and agenda. He stressed the need for the party to move fast to tackle the insecurity, corruption and extensive socio-economic reforms that will strengthen Nigeria’s economic viability. “I and my Forum are looking forward to a more prosperous Nigeria, and the return of Nigeria to the global stage as the giant of Africa.” [myad]
Alhaji Mujahideen Asari Dokubo was and, indeed, is still the leader of one of the fierce Niger Delta Forces fighting against the government of Nigeria for the possession of the Niger Delta oil wealth. Obviously, he became the leader of this militant group from the point of view of the fact that he conceptualised it, formed it and even finances it. That is the long and short of it. And unfortunately, that is the myopic way in which Asari Dokubo views leadership, especially in the context of democracy, at the universal level. This is where the danger, of having a half-literate person assailing a fast developing democratic ethos like Nigeria, lies. There is an obvious danger of having an already over-bloated egocentric being fixated on the nation’s march to greatness. I began to respect Asari Dokubo, away from my former posture of askance, when on Tuesday this week, he twitted that the fact that President Goodluck Jonathan lost the March 28 election did not make any different from the way he has been and will be. My respect for him on this statement was not hinged on the surface meaning of his thought, but the implication that President Jonathan is a son of Nigeria who was democratically voted out in 2015 as, of course, he was democratically voted-in in 2011. Asari Dokubo cannot deny the fact that almost all Nigerians welcome Jonathan with excitement and hope in 2011. That Nigerians in all regions, religions, ethnic divides and genders voted massively for him in 2011 without anybody raising a question as to what part of the country he came from. That was even when General Muhammadu Buhari, from the North, went down on his knees, begging his kits and kins to give him a chance. In fact, Jonathan got more than the required 25 percent of the votes cast in Katsina state, the home base of General Buhari. He got more than 25 percent of the votes cast from nearly all the states in the North, and even beating Buhari on number of votes cast. Jonathan also thrashed Buhari in the South West; Buhari hardly got 25 percent of the votes cast in the South West region. With the South East and South South block votes, Jonathan coasted home with resounding victory, democratically in 2011. No one from the North or South West talked then about conspiracy to rob Buhari of the victory that he didn’t have. As a matter of fact, Buhari has been winning the election since he began to contest in 2003, but after every trial which was obviously short-changed by the then cohesive but marauding PDP, no one talked about conspiracy except his die-hard street supporters who, in 2011, took to the streets for what was clearly a robbery. Yes, if the die-hard supporters of Jonathan had had cause to take to the streets after the announcement of the March 28 election, they would have been forgiven for the fact that they knew not what they were doing, but for Asari Dokubo, who is supposed to be fairly enlightened by virtue of being a militant leader to still be talking about conspiracy beats one’s imagination. At any rate, what is conspiracy? Conspiracy is when two or more people meet at a point to plan evil against fellow human being or the society. And so when Asari Dokubo talked glibly about South West and North conspiring to rob President Jonathan of the second term victory in the March 28, in a democratic environment, he obviously was mixing up the ideals of democracy with militancy. For, in democratic leadership/election, it is not conceivable for people in the North to meet the people in the South West to plan on how to vote out Jonathan. As a matter of fact, even if such meeting took place, the act of voting is purely individualistic, such that no one can determine whom the next person voted for at any given time. What happened on March 28 was the nation’s recourse to the true form of democracy. It was a situation in which bonafinde registered and accredited Nigerians voted freely for whom they thought, in the circumstance they found themselves, can serve them better. Jonathan was given the mandate in 2011, he tried his best to correct the wrongs in the socio-economic and political systems, but in 2015, majority of Nigerians said, through their votes that his best was not enough. That is the beauty of democracy. If after four years, General Muhammadu Buhari of All Progressives Congress (APC), who has just been given the same mandate performs below the expectations of majority of Nigerians, they will vote him out, irrespective of where he comes from. It would amount to dishonesty to lean on the outdated regional campaign of calumny as basis for him and his fellow militants to go back to the Creeks – war against Nigerian government. If Asari Dokubo wants to take his team of criminals back to the Creeks, he is free to do so. But, he should remember that he is not above the law of this country.
Senior Special adviser to President Goodluck Jonathan on communications, Dr. Doyin Okupe has made it clear that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) might have been defeated in 2015 but that it would come back stronger in four years to come. “Certainly, we will be back. We will overcome this defeat and rise again to power and glory in a twinkle of an eye.” Dr. Okupe said on his facebook wall that it has pleased the Almighty God to give victory to General Muhammadu Buhari, the Presidential candidate of the APC and the President elect, adding: “we accept this as the Will of God and I personally congratulate the general for his success. “We have ran a good race and fought a gallant battle. We are bowed but not cowed. We lost the crown but we gained a trophy. “The PDP family must not despair; If it took general Buhari 30 yrs to come back to power, it should take us much less.” Dr. Okupe gave glory to God for the opportunities the PDP family had had in the last 16 years, adding: “to millions of our supporters, we say thanks. To those who are our adversaries, the battle has been fought, and it has been won & lost. The strife is over for the next 4 yrs ONLY.” The Presidential communications master planner rejoiced with APC and the people of Nigeria on the progress that has been jointly made in the nation’s democratic journey. “For our democracy to endure, it is important that the winner clearly emerges while the loser concedes with equanimity.”
The President–elect, General Muhammadu Buhari has called on all Nigerians to embrace peace this Easter and celebrate our nation’s rebirth as they commemorate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. In an Easter message to Nigerians and the Christian world, personally signed by him, in-coming Nigeria’s leader, urged all citizens of Nigeria to unite and use the season of Easter to celebrate both the resurrection of Jesus Christ and the rebirth of the Nigerian nation. He said that having overcome the anxiety and fear that tended to overshadow the efforts and commitments towards free and peaceful Presidential and National Assembly elections, it was time for the citizens to move forward in the spirit of the resurrection to rebuild the country with the values of peace and love for one another. “Our Country depends on you – the Nigerian people to make Nigeria safe for all citizens and foreigners alike. I pledge that our administration shall strengthen all national institutions to promote harmony and national unity. As we do our best to heal our land, God, the most powerful will be on our side to rescue Nigeria from corruption, evil and anti-democratic forces that are pulling Nigeria down.”
Now that the APC has won the March 28 Presidential elections, one of the Major concerns is how the new government will deliver affordable uninterrupted Power to Nigerians. Recall that the then Minister of Power under the Obasanjo government, the late Bola Ige, promised Nigerians that the challenges over power supply would become history within six months of his assumption of duty. At the end of the day, he could not deliver on his promise. Former President Obasanjo, in a recent reaction, blamed Ige for ‘his’ failed promises and exonerated himself from the decision to solve the problem in the power industry in six months; Obasanjo eventually also found the power deficit difficult to overcome in his eight years in office. Ige’s Promise was however naïve at best. According to Obasanjo, “If you will remember, when I came back in 1999, my first Minister of Power was late Bola Ige. I won’t say Bola didn’t know what he was doing and he said publicly that he would fix the power problems in six months. “After one year, Bola with his capacity couldn’t fathom what was wrong with power. It was riddled with corruption. Then we had no money, people have forgotten that in 1999/2000, the price of crude oil was $9 per barrel.” he said. Obasanjo further expressed his disappointment in the late President Yar’Adua because, according to him, he failed to understand what to do at the right time. In the reports presented before the House of Representatives in 2009, it was later established that Obasanjo had expended $3.08 billion on Power Generation. So why didn’t Power generation improve? Well, actually it did. Senator Ngige, in November 2012 at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, was quoted as saying all the Power Plants Obasanjo built were located based on Political calculations and they were not close to transmission lines or Gas lines. This has been shown not to be true, details as follows: 1) The Papalanto and Omotosho plants were located less than five kilometres to the existing Escravos – Lagos Gas Pipeline making the cost of connecting them to gas about $4m each. 2) The Geregu plant was located less than eight kilometres from the existing Pipeline that takes gas to the Ajaokuta Steel plant. 3) The AfamV Plant was located within the existing Afam Power Plant and therefore did not need any special pipe laying. 4) The distance of all the four power plants from existing major transmission lines is less than two kilometres making the cost of connection to the National Grid infinitesimal. 5) The turnkey costs of all the four power plants were less than $500 per megawatt which was verified by the Due Process Office to be globally very competitive. The benchmark price used for the NIPP projects which came up later was more than $1000 per megawatt. 6) All the four plants were completed within 24 months from contractors’ mobilisation, making them the fastest of deliveries in the history of Nigeria. AfamV was commissioned within 12 months! 7) A concessionary funding programme was negotiated with the Chinese Exim Bank for the Papalanto and Omotosho power plants through which Nigerian government paid only 35 per cent of their cost for the plants to be delivered. The balance of 65 per cent was supposed to be paid over a seven year period at six per cent interest rate and two years moratorium. The idea was that after paying 35 per cent and the plant was completed within two years, the income from generated power would be used to pay up the balance of 65 per cent without recourse to the Nigerian treasury!. Sounds like a plan doesn’t it? The truth is that Power generation improved significantly under The Obasanjo government, between June 2000 and December 2002, our electricity generation capacity increased from 1425 to 4300 megawatts. Both the transmission and distribution subsections were strengthened such that peak load (delivered) for the first time in the history of Nigeria surpassed the 2400 megawatts maximum in 2002. The establishment of the Papalanto (335MW), Omotosho (335MW), Geregu (410MW), Afam V (276MW), Enron IPP(280MW) andKwale IPP (450MW) were added during the same period with the view of increasing the 4300MW generation capacity to about 6000MW. That was also the period when the Power Sector Reform Bill was crafted and submitted to the National Assembly to pave way for a more efficient deregulated power sector which we now have today. The major reason why Nigeria has not achieved the 6,000mw goal is vandalism of gas pipelines. In this regard, the Buhari/Osinbajo government will have to tackle this gas pipeline vandalism problem head on. There is no other way on the Long term. Technically, Nigeria doesn’t have a Power Generation Problem per se; it has a gas distribution problem. In this regard, the Lagos government and many private estates in Lagos have been able to identify the problem and switch to off grid captive power generation powered by Compressed Natural Gas /Diesel, enabling them enjoy 24hrs Electricity. The Buhari/Osinbajo government will in the short term need to replicate this in industrial clusters, thereby freeing up more capacity for the grid. To do this, the power sector laws need to be relaxed as presently, only the licensed distribution companies are allowed to trade in power, Presently, such off grid power generating plants can only be used by the generating entity. Once this is achieved, focus must be shift to improving the capacity of the grid. Presently the National grid can only transmit about 7200mw while analysts have said Nigeria needs at least 40,000mw to achieve stable electricity.
Muyiwa Abiodun is a Board Member of Energy savers Nigeria, he is a Utility engineer who has designed and built over 40mw of off grid Power.
Nigeria’s President-elect, General Muhammadu Buhari has vowed to confront members of the deadly Boko Haram as soon as he formally assumed office, even as he made it clear that he does not believe in timing when his government would cleanse Nigerian of the sect. A statement from All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Organisation, signed by its Director of media and publicity, Garba Shehu, quoted General Buhari as saying that as soon as he assumed office, he would consult with all the security chiefs to map out new strategies. Describing reports in some media organisations that he promised to end the scourge of Boko Haram insurgency in the country, within two months as misleading and unfounded, the President-Elect said that he is still waiting to be sworn in on May 29. “After the ceremony, I would need time to study the security situation and plan strategically with the security chiefs as to the way forward. Time is of essence here. Therefore,I didn’t and wouldn’t peg the decimation of terrorism from the country’s territories to just two months. I was unequivocal about cleansing Boko Haram from our land; I would do a good job of it by giving a final permanent push to rid Nigeria of unscrupulous elements. I said that much to the world media including the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and Cable News Network (CNN). I never put a time-frame to when I would eliminate terrorists, and it would be unfair and mischievous for someone to ascribe to me what I haven’t said.”
President Goodluck Jonathan, President-elect, General Muhammadu Buhari and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar have expressed sadness over the death of the former Nigeria Inspector General of Police, Alhaji Muhammadu Dikko Yusuf. In his condolence message signed by special adviser on media and publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, President Jonathan described MD Yusuf as a eminent Nigerian who served his country dutifully throughout his successful career in the Nigerian Police, and later on, as a political leader and elder statesman. The President believed that MD Yusuf, as he was fondly called by his friends and associates, will long be remembered for his outstanding political courage and exemplary determination during Nigeria’s transition to democracy after years of military rule. He recalls that as leader of the Grassroots Democratic Movement at that time, the late MD Yusuf embodied some of the best values of bravery and patriotism. Jonathan condoled with the government and people of Katsina State as well as with Alhaji Yusuf’s family and the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) in which the deceased as a respected leader.
In his condolence, General Buhari described the death of MD Yusuf as a great loss to Nigeria’s democratic struggle, adding that Yusuf died at a point his valuable advice was still badly needed by Nigerian leaders. General Buhari recalled the role of MD Yusuf in Nigeria’s democratic struggle during the military politics of self-succession, which brought to the fore his courage to speak even if he was standing alone. According to Buhari, despite the constriction of the democratic space, the late M D Yusuf was the only politician who established his own political party to challenge a military self-succession agenda. General Buhari recalled that only an indomitable democrat like the late M D Yusuf could have taken that personal risk. He prayed to Allah to forgive Yusuf’s shortcomings and reward his good deeds with Aljannah (Paradise). Also former Vice President Atiku Abubakar extolled the extraordinary courage of the late MD Yusuf, adding that he was one of the most courageous Nigerian politicians he had ever encountered. According to Atiku, many politicians retreated to a safe distance when MD Yusuf established his own political party to challenge the military approved political parties to effectuate the self-succession agenda of 1998. The former Vice President, who was part of that democratic struggle, said the late Yusuf’s sacrifices for democracy would not be forgotten in a hurry. He noted that he was impressed by the late Yusuf’s courage of conviction, challenging a self-succession agenda when the democratic space was shut against contrary voices. According to the former Vice President, the history of Nigeria’s democratic struggle would be incomplete without a prominent mention of the contributions of the late Mohammed Yusuf. He prayed to Allah to forgive the soul of the deceased and reward his good deeds with paradise.
The Guild of Corporate Online Publishers (GOCOP) has congratulate the President-elect, General Muhammadu Buhari over his electoral victory, even as it commended President Goodluck Jonathan for conceding victory in an election that has been described as successful. In a statement by its President, Malachy Agbo, GOCOP said that apart from field reports by its members and staff who covered the elections, the commendations locally and by the international community attest to the fact that the election was the freest and fairest ever to be conducted in the country. The statement said that the President-elect had taught Nigerians the lesson in perseverance, having sought the same position thrice in the past without success, even as it charged the General to be magnanimous in victory. “The time to jettison partisanship by the General is now, as electioneering is over and the serious business of governance is at hand. “There is no idea or persons that should be discarded in the process of moving the country forward.” GOCOP also commended President Jonathan for his show of sportsmanship with his decision to congratulate Buhari even before the official declaration of the result. “This, no doubt, doused the tension that had been building up before the announcement of the final result and pulled the bullets out of the already cocked guns of those prepared for war in the event that their candidate loses.” The association also praised Jonathan for overseeing two successive elections that had proven that the country is capable of holding its head high in the comity of nations when it comes to the conduct of free and fair elections. Malachy in the statement, also paid glowing tribute to the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Attahiru Jega, and his aides as well as the staff for ensuring that the elections were free and fair. He said that the place of Jega in Nigeria’s history can never be forgotten. GOCOP equally praised the APC Presidential Campaign Organisation and the media team of the APC, headed by the former President of the Nigeria Guild of Editors (NGE), Malam Garba Shehu, for playing by the rules of the game through the avoidance of hate speeches and focusing on issues rather than frivolities throughout the campaign that heralded the elections. GOCOP said the APC Presidential Campaign Organisation showed immense professionalism in the handling of the presidential campaign of the APC. The association also commended Nigerians who participated fully in the voting process, in some cases under the rain. “Elections are about the people and Nigerians showed great zeal and commitment to the process by turning out en-mass to cast their votes, with some staying under the rain, as witnessed in most parts of Lagos State, to cast their votes. “For over 28 million Nigerians to have cast their votes out of the registered 68 million voters is a testimony to the zeal of Nigerians to participate in the process to elect their leaders. It is indeed victory for all.” The Guild urged Nigerians to show the same enthusiasm for the governorship and state Houses of Assembly elections coming up on April 11.
Jonathan So much have been said by so many people in and outside Nigeria, on the surprised and “unAfrican” attitude displayed by President Goodluck Jonathan, by conceding electoral victory to opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari in the last Saturday’s election. The common thread that ran around all such comments is the fact that President Jonathan was able to participate in the shearing of the glory attached to the March 28 Presidential election by such concession, even before the electoral umpire concluded the collation and eventual announcement of the winner of the election. As a matter of fact, every other person, representing every other institution, either as an individual or in group, would now not congratulate the President-elect, General Buhari for the electoral victory without commending President Jonathan for such act of indefatigable courage and uncommon selflessness. Others that have been appearing on the platform of commendation for the peace, tranquillity and maturity that stands tall in Nigeria after the election are the INEC, the security agencies and Nigerians, especially the voters, in that order of significance. The magnitude of the positivism that trailed the phone-call by the President at exactly 5.15pm on Monday to the President-elect, in the context of “a stitch in time” prism can never be comprehensively understood in its proper context in many years to come. As a matter of fact, a proper analysis of the situation can be done looking at the whole scenario from the point when election period was knocking on the door. The storm that gathered a few months to the election which shook the nation so much that it was possible for the people with less faith to predict an Armageddon, was real: it was so thick that one could cut it with a sharp knife. Some ethnic militias, political hangers-on, political jobbers and other crumble-picking economic and financial parasites, and even the big-time Nigeria money-guzzlers were threatening fire and brimstone. Nigeria was virtually at the precipice. With the garrulous Femi Fani-Kayode issuing a veiled threat that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which Presidential Campaign Organisation he is spokesman of, would reject and go on rampage if INEC announced the winner of the election other than President Jonathan; with Dr. Doyin Okupe twitting that General Buhari was gone forever and with Elder Godsday Orubebe causing commotion at the INEC collation centre and openly insulting Professor Attahiru Jega as well as other acts of brigandage from various quarters, the stage was being set for the worse to befall the nation. And like a thief in the dark night, as the saying goes, President Jonathan emerged from nowhere to throw all such trouble makers and war-mongers off his back. His phone-call to General Buhari to congratulate him even when the result from one or two states had not yet been collated and announced, saved Nigeria from clearly unimaginable crisis: the crisis that would have signalled the disintegration of this house; Nigeria. Of course, it is on record that President Jonathan had missed the first opportunity that made itself available for him to write his name in gold as hero of this democracy. That was at the time he would have told the nation that he would not go for second-term, in honour of what became a controversial agreement. The people around and about him succeeded in rail-loading him onto the campaign trane, for the second-term, just for their selfish end. And when the second opportunity came for him to still write his name in gold as hero of this democracy, by damning the voices of people around and about him; by not even waiting for such voices to gain ground, he, President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan grabbed it with two hands. And come what may, nobody, not even those who would not want to hear anything good about him would deny the fact that he has earned a beautiful place in the history and historical development of not just the political and democratic evolution of this country, but also of that within the context of Nigeria as an entity. We in Greenbarge Reporters envy him no end! [myad]
Wife of President Goodluck Jonathan, Dame Patience has congratulated Hajiya Aisha Buhari, wife of the President-elect, General Muhammadu Buhari on her husband’s victory at the last Saturday’s presidential election.
In a three-paragraph statement by her media aide, Ayo Adewuyi, Dame Patience called on Nigerian women to support Hajiya Aisha in order to succeed in her new assignment.
The statement read: “The First Lady Dame Patience Jonathan (Mama Peace) has congratulated the wife of the President elect, Hajiya Aisha Buhari on the election of her husband, General Muhammadu Buhari.
“The First Lady appeals to the Nigerian women to work with Hajia Aisha Buhari and give her the maximun support to make her succeed in her new assignment.
“The First Lady (Mama Peace) wishes her well in her new task.” [myad]
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
How General Buhari’s Government Can Improve Power Supply, By Muyiwa Abiodun
Recall that the then Minister of Power under the Obasanjo government, the late Bola Ige, promised Nigerians that the challenges over power supply would become history within six months of his assumption of duty. At the end of the day, he could not deliver on his promise.
Former President Obasanjo, in a recent reaction, blamed Ige for ‘his’ failed promises and exonerated himself from the decision to solve the problem in the power industry in six months; Obasanjo eventually also found the power deficit difficult to overcome in his eight years in office.
Ige’s Promise was however naïve at best.
According to Obasanjo, “If you will remember, when I came back in 1999, my first Minister of Power was late Bola Ige. I won’t say Bola didn’t know what he was doing and he said publicly that he would fix the power problems in six months.
“After one year, Bola with his capacity couldn’t fathom what was wrong with power. It was riddled with corruption. Then we had no money, people have forgotten that in 1999/2000, the price of crude oil was $9 per barrel.” he said.
Obasanjo further expressed his disappointment in the late President Yar’Adua because, according to him, he failed to understand what to do at the right time.
In the reports presented before the House of Representatives in 2009, it was later established that Obasanjo had expended $3.08 billion on Power Generation.
So why didn’t Power generation improve? Well, actually it did.
Senator Ngige, in November 2012 at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, was quoted as saying all the Power Plants Obasanjo built were located based on Political calculations and they were not close to transmission lines or Gas lines.
This has been shown not to be true, details as follows:
1) The Papalanto and Omotosho plants were located less than five kilometres to the existing Escravos – Lagos Gas Pipeline making the cost of connecting them to gas about $4m each.
2) The Geregu plant was located less than eight kilometres from the existing Pipeline that takes gas to the Ajaokuta Steel plant.
3) The AfamV Plant was located within the existing Afam Power Plant and therefore did not need any special pipe laying.
4) The distance of all the four power plants from existing major transmission lines is less than two kilometres making the cost of connection to the National Grid infinitesimal.
5) The turnkey costs of all the four power plants were less than $500 per megawatt which was verified by the Due Process Office to be globally very competitive. The benchmark price used for the NIPP projects which came up later was more than $1000 per megawatt.
6) All the four plants were completed within 24 months from contractors’ mobilisation, making them the fastest of deliveries in the history of Nigeria. AfamV was commissioned within 12 months!
7) A concessionary funding programme was negotiated with the Chinese Exim Bank for the Papalanto and Omotosho power plants through which Nigerian government paid only 35 per cent of their cost for the plants to be delivered. The balance of 65 per cent was supposed to be paid over a seven year period at six per cent interest rate and two years moratorium. The idea was that after paying 35 per cent and the plant was completed within two years, the income from generated power would be used to pay up the balance of 65 per cent without recourse to the Nigerian treasury!. Sounds like a plan doesn’t it?
The truth is that Power generation improved significantly under The Obasanjo government, between June 2000 and December 2002, our electricity generation capacity increased from 1425 to 4300 megawatts. Both the transmission and distribution subsections were strengthened such that peak load (delivered) for the first time in the history of Nigeria surpassed the 2400 megawatts maximum in 2002. The establishment of the Papalanto (335MW), Omotosho (335MW), Geregu (410MW), Afam V (276MW), Enron IPP(280MW) andKwale IPP (450MW) were added during the same period with the view of increasing the 4300MW generation capacity to about 6000MW. That was also the period when the Power Sector Reform Bill was crafted and submitted to the National Assembly to pave way for a more efficient deregulated power sector which we now have today.
The major reason why Nigeria has not achieved the 6,000mw goal is vandalism of gas pipelines. In this regard, the Buhari/Osinbajo government will have to tackle this gas pipeline vandalism problem head on.
There is no other way on the Long term.
Technically, Nigeria doesn’t have a Power Generation Problem per se; it has a gas distribution problem.
In this regard, the Lagos government and many private estates in Lagos have been able to identify the problem and switch to off grid captive power generation powered by Compressed Natural Gas /Diesel, enabling them enjoy 24hrs Electricity.
The Buhari/Osinbajo government will in the short term need to replicate this in industrial clusters, thereby freeing up more capacity for the grid. To do this, the power sector laws need to be relaxed as presently, only the licensed distribution companies are allowed to trade in power, Presently, such off grid power generating plants can only be used by the generating entity.
Once this is achieved, focus must be shift to improving the capacity of the grid. Presently the National grid can only transmit about 7200mw while analysts have said Nigeria needs at least 40,000mw to achieve stable electricity.
Muyiwa Abiodun is a Board Member of Energy savers Nigeria, he is a Utility engineer who has designed and built over 40mw of off grid Power.
[myad]