General Manager in the MD’s office of the Nigerian Independent System Operator, and former General Manager of the National Control Center, Engineer Ishola Adegboye has said that federal government intervention is improving electricity generation and stability of the power sector gradually.
He said this in an interview with ARISE NEWS on Monday.
“We should appreciate the efforts of the Minister of Power because he is ensuring that things are improving. This present government realized that something had to be done. The federal government has moved to reimburse these payments. The President has signed for N3.3T, and disbursement has started. Additionally, the Minister of Power has been relentless in engaging all stakeholders. As a result, generation is moving gradually from 3,900 to 4,300 megawatts. We expect to surpass our previous peak of around 5,000 plus megawatts before the end of the year,” he said.
Adding, Engr. Adegboye said there is real improvement in the power sector, noting that long-standing gas debts dating back to 2015 are now being addressed by the current administration.
“There is a real improvement when you consider the depth of the backlog. Those debts from 2015 were not being paid until the government of Bola Ahmed Tinubu started addressing them. Without this intervention, things would have fallen below expectations. With this gradual improvement, there is hope we will surpass the record of 5,801.84 megawatts set last year,” he assured.
Speaking on the Gas-to-Power monitoring committee, he said its mandate is immediate and already reflected in daily improvements in electricity generation.
“Their assignment is immediate. That is why you are seeing daily improvements now. The Minister insisted that this must be monitored in real-time to ensure sustainability for the generators. With continued monitoring, I believe we will surpass past records within a few months,” Adegboye said.
He reiterated that the major challenge in the power sector remains liquidity, adding that with the commitment of ₦3.3T by the federal government, the sector is expected to record improved performance going forward.
“The major problem is simply liquidity. Now that the 3.3 trillion Naira has been committed, things will move better.”
Favour Odima
Follow us on:
