Vice President Namadi Sambo has given Distribution contractors sixty days to complete their contracts on the power projects as the contract would be terminated if they are not complete within the stipulated period.
He mandated the Managing Director, Niger Delta Power Holding Company, Mr. James Olotu, to communicate to the contractors the need to fast tract work to avoid the consequences.
Sambo also said government was ready to assist the new owners to acquire transformers to enable them to distribute power should they have need of them.
He said the companies would buy the transformers from the Ministry of Power, while payment will be spread over a period of fifteen years.
Speaking today in a meeting with the Transmission and Distribution companies in the State House, Abuja, Sambo asked the stakeholders at the meeting to also submit their plans on delivering energy metering within one week.
According to him, the meeting was “conveyed to review the situation of power supply situation in the country and essentially to work out strategies through which government investment through the NDPHC in terms of various assets at the distribution level could be completed and transferred to the discos at a price to be determined later.”
In order to solve most of the challenges faced by the new owners, Sambo directed the Transmission, Distribution and Niger Delta Power Companies to meet and solve the problems facing their operations especially that of load shading in parts of the country.
Sambo decried the situation where someone blew up a gas pipeline and the act of sabotage by others causing the problems experienced in Lagos and nationwide. He stated that government places high premium in the power sector and has invested heavily in the gas project to supply to power stations.
The VP urged the Transmission and Distribution companies to be transparent in their operations and work together to achieve the desired result for Nigerians.
Earlier, the Managing Director, Niger Delta Power Company, Mr. James Olotu briefed the meeting on the progress NIPP and highlighted some challenges which included unavailability of 33 KV bays at the 132/33kV substations, inadequate transmission capacity at the TCN substation of Abuja, Ikeja and Port Harcourt Discos; Security challenges in the North East; the issue of connection of weak existing 33 KV source to new completed injection substations at Kaduna and Ibadan.
It was also observed that some Discos refused connection of completed project in Jos and Port Harcourt; it was discovered that lines work are being frustrated by aesthetic development along road works in Lagos and Rivers states; delayed procurement of last batch of materials, including automation equipment at Eko and Abuja discos is one of the challenges responsible poor state of power supply across the area; Others include sub optimal funds management while waiting for resolution of problems like security challenges and supply issues.
