Nigeria’s Minister for Power, Adebayo Adelabu, has advised his countrymen to stop using their limited resources to buy transformers, electric poles and other electrical materials for electricity distribution companies (Discos) before they are connected with power.
The Power Minister said it is the responsibility of the Distribution companies (Discos) to provide infrastructures such as cables, poles, transformers and the like that are required to deliver their services since it would be paid for by the consumers.
It is a common practice in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, for communities and individuals who want their homes and businesses to be connected to the national grid to buy electrical materials for Discos to facilitate the connection.
However, Adebayo Adelabu, who assumed the post barely six months ago, believes that the time has come for this practice to be stopped.
“A situation where communities buy transformers, cables and poles must stop.
As a minister, I don’t want to hear news of communities being asked to purchase electric transformers, cables and poles.
If the consumers are paying for the electricity, then, it is the responsibility of the distribution companies to provide these items.
“There must be improvement in power supply.
That is what the government planned to do. People should not pay for darkness.
When people have a 24-hour power supply, they can pay double for electricity because you have saved them the money to power generators.
“We don’t want to hear the news of communities buying transformers, cables, and poles for themselves again.
The federal government frowns at it. You see what we have done in Kaduna. Service to our people is paramount.
It is the responsibility that Mr President has placed on us,” he said.
The Minister said President Bola Tinubu frowns at the situation where communities would be forced to purchase transformers, poles and cables and electricity distribution companies take ownership of the same to provide services that customers would still pay.
He warned that the current administration would not tolerate a situation where communities would be forced to purchase such items by themselves while also asking Nigerians to desist from paying for darkness, adding that a constant and stable power supply is one of the main focuses of the present administration.
Minister Adelabu said this during a courtesy call on the Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, in Ibadan on Monday, when he also inspected power infrastructure and commissioned a substation.
The minister had earlier addressed workers at the Transmission Company of Nigeria Sub-station, Ayede Ibadan, as well as management staff at the headquarters of the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company, Ring Road, Ibadan.
Touching on vandalism of power infrastructures in the country, Minister Adebayo Adelabu said, “Some people are working to destroy our national assets.
It is our responsibility to protect them (national assets) collectively.
“When you notice any strange movement around our national assets, let us escalate it.
Any strange movement should be reported to the security agencies. We can do it individually.
We have the support of Mr President, the National Security Adviser and all security agencies.
“We have seen the destruction of transmission wires in some parts of the country. These are the assets that cost billions of naira to install.
It is a fight that must be jointly fought.”
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com