The Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, has summoned the chief executives of Abuja Electricity Distribution Company and Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company over the worsening power supply in their regions.
The minister of power also invited Sule Abdulazeez, managing director of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), for the same reason.
Since the turn of the year, electricity supply to the nation’s capital and across the country has gone from bad to worse, with distribution companies citing gas constraints to generating companies (GenCos) as reason for the prolonged, agonising blackout.
In a statement, Bolaji Tunji, special adviser on strategic communications and media relations to the minister, said power supply should have improved because of the pressure mounted on GenCos to increase their output.
“These two DisCos have been summoned due to the worsening power supply situation in their regions despite improved supply from TCN,” Tunji said.
“So, we expect power supply to have improved across the country, unlike what we are experiencing in some regions presently.
“Findings revealed that some distribution companies were deliberately not taking up power supply from TCN, while some power lines were also damaged by vandals in Abuja, Benin, Port Harcourt and Ibadan regions.”
The aide said the minister has threatened non-performing DisCos nationwide with “outright licence revocation”.
Tunji said the minister also directed TCN to commence repair work on the damaged transmission lines.
The aide added that despite the shortage of gas, power generation has been ramped up to over 4000MW in recent days.
Recall that the minister had embarked on supervisory visits to some of the power-generating plants in the last few months.
He was in the Kainji hydro power plant which would soon embark on an expansion plan to boost the existing 560MW operational capacity.
He also visited Benue and Taraba states to assess the infrastructure being constructed to evacuate an additional 30 megawatts from the Kashimbilla hydo power station to the national grid.
Presently, only 10MW is being evacuated from the hydro power plant.
The minister was also in Olorunshogo and Omotosho thermal plants in Ogun and Ondo states, Ihvobor and Azura power plants in Edo State.
During the visits, the minister assured these power plants that plans were underway by the Federal Government to defray part of the outstanding debts being owed the power generation companies and the gas supply companies.
“With this, succour is close to electricity consumers nationwide as we expect this action to improve generation levels across the country,” Adelabu stated.
He also appealed to electricity consumers to exercise a little patience while the situation was being turned around.
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