Nigeria Minister of Power, Professor Chinedu Nebo has regretted that gas vandals have made none sense of his efforts, over the years, to improve the nation’s power supply.
Nebo, who spoke to newsmen today shortly after the weekly meeting of Federal Executive Council (FEC), presided over by President Goodluck Jonathan at the Presidential Villa, abuja, lamented: “I have never been so frustrated in my life.”
Professor Nebo said that the efforts his ministry has made would have brought about over 5000 megga watts of electricity generation and ensure reasonable amount of constant power supply, but that vandals have been thwarting such efforts.
According to him, as the government is repairing vandalised gas pipes, the vandals were returning to cause more havock, adding that now, government needed over N1.5 Billion to correct the problems on the pipe lines across the country.
The minister said that government is currently spending the sum of N120 Million every month on gas even as he lamented; “the past three weeks have been horrible.”
Professor Nebo who apologised to Nigerians for the decline in power supply across the country, cursed those who have been vandalising gas pipe lines, saying that they must have been possessed by demons.
He said that the idea of wiping off vandalism from the oil sector is not feasible, just the same way armed robbers and kidnappers cannot be completely wiped out, but that many vandals who were caught in the act have been jailed.
Professor Nebo advised the incoming General Muhammadu Buhari’s government not to jettison privatisation, warning that doing so would take Nigeria several years backward in terms of economic growth.
[myad]
