Adebayo Adelebu, minister of power, says Nigeria needs $10 billion annually for 20 years to have stable electricity supply.
The minister spoke in an interview with journalists on Tuesday after commissioning the 2.5mw solar hybrid power project at the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA), Kaduna. He said infrastructure deficit in the power sector has piled up over the last 60 years due to lack of maintenance, lack of additional investment and failure to revive transmission grids.
“For us to achieve functional reliable and stable electricity in Nigeria, we need not less than $10 billion annually for the next ten to twenty years.
“But there are some foundational bottleneck that we experienced in the past that need to be fixed for the spending of this money to have meaning”, the minister said.
He however said the present administration of President Bola Tinubu is doing its best to tackle the challenges.
Adelebu said, the signing of the energy bill into an Act is one of the important steps taken by the government to tackle the challenges in the power sector.
“This bill has achieved liberation and decentralization of the power sector to enable all levels of government – federal, state and local governments to legally and morally play roles in the power sector to give their citizens at sub national levels electricity.
“This has given autonomy to more than eleven states and more are still coming.
“They can now play roles in the power sector from generation to transmission to distribution and even metering.
“Secondly, we talk about infrastructure deficit, then we talk about fixing infrastructure deficit which has piled up over the last 60 years due to lack of maintenance, lack of additional investment to revive our transmission grid”, he said.
The minister emphasised government’s resolve to provide sustainable and reliable energy to critical national institutions.
The project which was executed by the Rural Electrification Agency (REA), an agency of the Federal Ministry of Power, is part of the landmark Energizing Education Programme (EEP) Phase II.
The project will provide uninterrupted electricity to academic buildings, staff residences, barracks, and critical facilities within the NDA.
Earlier in his address, Abba Aliyu, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Rural Electrification Agency (REA), described the unveil of the project as “a turning point in Nigeria’s journey toward energy access for learning institutions.”
He noted that the agency is not just commissioning project, commissioning social impact, research and sustainable development.
“EEP Phase II is not just an energy project, it is a national mission. We are delivering clean energy to power academic excellence, national security, and innovation”, Aliyu said.
Also in his remarks, A. K Ibrahim, Commandant of the NDA, expressed deep appreciation to the federal government and the REA for the project.
He said, “This solar hybrid plant is a critical addition to our infrastructure.
“It allows us to train and operate without power disruptions, ensuring we maintain the standards of excellence and discipline expected of Nigeria’s military leadership institution.”
