There Will Be Total Blackout For The Next Three Months If You Reject New Policy – Minister of Power Warns Senate

The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, has warned that there will be a total blackout in Nigeria in the next three months if the proposed electricity tariff hike is not implemented. The minister stated this yesterday in Abuja when he appeared before the Senate Committee on Power at an investigative hearing over the recent electricity tariff hike by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC). This is after the Senate committee, led by Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, rejected the new tariff regime. Adelabu warned that the entire sector would be grounded if the Commission fails to increase the tariff. Adelabu said, “The entire sector will be grounded if we don’t increase the tariff. With what we have now in the next three months, the entire country will be in darkness if we don’t increase tariffs. “The increment will catapult us to the next level. We are also Nigerians. We are also feeling the impact.” He said $10 billion yearly for the next ten years is needed to revive the nation’s power sector and nip in the bud the challenges bedevilling it. “For this sector to be revived, the government needs to spend nothing less than 10 billion dollars annually in the next 10 years. “This is because of the infrastructure requirement for the stability of the sector. But the government can not afford that. And so we must make this sector attractive to investors and to lenders. “So, for us to attract investors and investment, we must make the sector attractive, and the only way it can be made attractive is that there must be commercial pricing. “If the value is still at N66 and the government is not paying subsidy, the investors will not come. But now that we have increased the tariff for A Band, there are interests being shown by investors,” he said.

FG To GenCos, DisCos: No More Excuses Over Poor Power Supply

The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, has warned electricity generating and distribution companies over the poor distribution of electricity to Nigerians stressing that the government will no longer listen to their excuses. Adelabu, who made this known to Discos and generating companies during a meeting Saturday in Abuja, said the meeting was to find a lasting solution to the issues surrounding power distribution. According to a statement signed by the Minister’s Special Adviser, Strategic Communication and Media Relations Bolaji Tunji, Adelabu said: “We called this meeting to learn from you and the only way to salvage a bad situation is to understand the real issues on the ground. “Power is one of the most important things we need to energize the economy in terms of achieving the desired economic growth and Industrial development. ”The President has identified the power sector as a major driver of economic growth; therefore no excuse will be entertained for non-performance.” The minister also said that the meeting will become regular to create a stable and accessible environment that will enable discussions surrounding the generating, transmitting, and distribution value chain of electricity to be reviewed and decisions reached. He added that this development will make an impact in the power sector within two to three years.