How we achieved uninterrupted power supply in ruralcommunities –Minister

Minister of Power, Prof. Chinedu Nebo, yesterday said the
Federal Government’s special intervention programme, “Light
up Rural Nigeria Project”, achieved one year of uninterrupted
power supply in Durumi community in Bwari Arear Council of
the Federal Capital Territory through its off-grid power
infrastructure.
Nebo who stated this on Wednesday when he paid a working
visit to the corporate headquarters of The Sun Publishing
Limited in Lagos, said government was working to extend the
project to other rural communities through its Rural
Electrification project. He called the Nigerian private sector to
leverage government’s success story to improve the power
supply situation in th country.
He described the activities of pipeline vandals as a major
obstacle to the realisation of government’s power target for
Nigerians, adding that the development informed Federal
Government’s decision to think out of the box.
Nebo said the celebration of one year of uninterrupted power
supply in the Abuja rural community was made possible
through the use of solar powered technology to provide light
to residents as part of government’s effort to resolve the
power challenges in the country.
President Goodluck Jonathan had in January 2014 flagged off
the official commissioning of the solar power project in Durumi
community, Bwari Area Council in Abuja, to light up over 1,000
homes in the area.
The Light Up Rural Nigeria is an initiative of the Ministry of
Power for the post- privatisation period and specifically
targeted at providing electricity for off-grid rural communities.
Nebo listed other government’s strategies to light up Nigeria
to include the national renewable energy policy, energy
efficiency policy and the rural electrification project, which he
said would enable the private sector move in a more
predictable manner into the off-grid renewable energy sub-
sector to complement government’s efforts of universal
access to electricity.
While lauding The Sun for its special reports on failed
infrastructure across the country, he equally called on its
management to help publicise the evils inherent in pipeline
vandalism, which, according to him, was aimed at frustrating
government’s efforts at realising steady power supply.
“Each time we achieve 4,500 mega watts, the vandals would
strike. But whenever we achieve less, they don’t strike. And
this to us is a major act of sabotage. It is wicked and a major
setback to our achievement. So we plead with you to help us
project these ills,” he said.
Nebo said the initiative “has been conceived by the admin­
istration primarily to promote the use of renewable energy
thereby assisting in its vision of providing reliable electricity to
all Nigerians regardless of where they live or work. It is also
designed to assist in achieving energy security through
abundant energy mix of wind, solar and biomass.”
Responding, Managing Director of The Sun Publishing Limited,
Mr. Femi Adesina, assured the Minister of the company’s
support in publicising the ministry’s activities, while also
urging him to take advantage of the wide circulation of the
newspaper to inform Nigerians about its activities.
Adesina, however, regretted government’s inability to meet
targets it had set voluntarily, saying this remained a major
concern to Nigerians who can no longer hold on to such
promises.