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Akinwande Soji-Ojo
Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, has summoned the Chief Executive Officers of Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) and Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) over the worsening power supply in their regions.
Adelabu, in a statement made available by his media aide, Bolaji Tunji, also summoned the Managing Director of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), Sule Ahmed Abdulazeez, over the deteriorating power situation.
A letter signed by the Director, Distribution Services at the Federal Ministry of Power, Engineer B.U. Mustapha, asked the CEOs of the institution to attend a meeting called by the minister in the coming week to discuss issues bothering on worsening electricity supply in their regions with a view to proffering a lasting solution.
The minister also stated that the management of other non-performing DISCOs would be queried as reports continued to filter in on situations in their regions.
“These two DISCOs have been summoned due to the worsening power supply situation in their regions despite improved supply from TCN,” he said.
According to the statement, the ministry had been putting pressure on the Generating Companies (GENCOs) to improve performance and generation has been ramped up to over 4000MW in recent days.
The minister has also directed TCN to immediately commence repair works on the damaged transmission towers and power lines in order to improve supply in the affected regions.
Recall that the minister had embarked on supervisory visits to some of the power generating plants in the last few months.
He was in Kainji hydro power plant, which will soon embark on an expansion plan to boost the existing 560MW operational capacity. He also visited Benue and Taraba sStates 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 Olorunsogo and Omotoso thermal plants in Ogun and Ondo States, Ihvobor and Azura power plants in Edo State respectively.
During the visits, he 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.
“He also appealed to electricity consumers to exercise a little patience while the situation is being turned around,” the statement added.