Adebayo Adelabu, the Minister for Power, underscored the imperative of delivering generated electricity to consumers during a speech at the third edition of the roundtable for the legislature, judiciary, and stakeholders on the enforcement of technical standards and regulations in the Nigerian electricity supply industry.
The event was organized in Abuja by the Nigerian Electricity Management Services Agency (NEMSA).
Minister Adelabu expressed frustration with the historical approach of increasing power generation without ensuring efficient distribution to end-users.
He emphasized that the current administration is committed to transforming the power sector and asserted that the practice of generating electricity without supplying it to consumers is “useless.”
Addressing the audience, Adelabu stated, “My strategic roadmap for transforming this sector, top on the list is the bottom-up approach to reforming the sector. Past ministers may have started from the top, focusing on power generation from hydro, thermal, etc. But what is the essence of the generated power when it is not being delivered to customers? It is useless! It is blinking in the dark because the customers do not know what we are doing. We have to change the game.”
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He highlighted the importance of focusing on customers, emphasizing a bottom-up approach to reform that begins with addressing the challenges in distribution, transmission, and generation.
Adelabu acknowledged the need for financial viability in the sector, stressing the importance of revenue collection to finance activities along the entire value chain.
“We are starting from the customers. Also, we need liquidity, if you don’t collect (revenue), how do we finance the activities along the value chain? So we start from the customers to distribution, transmission and generation,” he explained.
While committing to ramping up power generation and introducing new infrastructure, Adelabu emphasized the need for quality standards.
He praised the role of NEMSA in ensuring the quality of power infrastructure and hinted at increased support and monitoring activities.
“We are not joking with the power sector this time around. It must work, we don’t have a choice. Any country that is serious about harnessing the potential of its natural mineral resources needs energy, otherwise, the potential will be dead,” declared the Minister.
Adelabu also conveyed President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to providing the necessary backing for the power sector to deliver electricity to Nigerians.
He emphasized the significance of political will in driving the sector’s transformation, assuring stakeholders of the administration’s determination to deliver the dividends of democracy through a robust power sector.
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