Vice President Kashim Shettima stresses that Nigeria’s power sector is significant for the country’s economic growth, calling on leaders to put aside their differences and tackle the nation’s electricity issues.
The Vice President said this on Thursday when he inaugurated the National Economic Council (NEC) Ad Hoc Committee on National Electrification and NEC Ad Hoc Committee on Polio Eradication at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Speaking while inaugurating the Ad hoc committee on National Electrification, VP Shettima made reference to countries with similar challenges of energy deficiency, such as Indonesia, India, South Africa, and Uganda, pointing out that they are already in the league of those at the forefront of post-industrial revolution.
According to a statement issued by Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications, Office of the Vice President, Stanley Nkwocha, Shettima said “one common thing with these countries and others in the post-industrial revolution community is that they have largely resolved the issue of energy insufficiency.
“There is no doubt that we cannot dream of meaningful national economic development without addressing the issue in the power sector and ensuring that Nigerians have accessible, available and affordable energy,” he stated.
Regretting that an estimated 40-70 percent of Nigerians have no formal access to electricity, VP Shettima said he is comforted by the knowledge that the calibre and experiences of state Governors and other members of the committee “will definitely change the narrative in a positive trajectory.”
He acknowledged the basic challenges in the nation’s power sector, especially the national grid which has been witnessing system collapse.
The Vice President is optimistic that recent energy sector reforms will lead to significant improvements, opening up the sector to new players and attracting both foreign and local investments
“I believe we are well endowed with resources, be it gas, hydro or solar, that allow us to have an optimal energy mix and leverage these resources to build a sector in a resilient manner that ensures energy security for every Nigerian,” he added.
In his remarks, Chairman of the NEC AD HOC committee on National Electrification and Cross River State Governor, Prince Bassey Edet Otu, noted that the Vice President has impaneled the committee with four terms of reference to change the ugly history of incessant national grid collapse in the country, noting that their next task is to get down to work, and do so assiduously until they produce credible, achievable and sustainable results.
He said, “In the command list, one, is to put an end to consistent grid collapse in the energy sector and to work towards deepening states’ engagement within the Electricity Reform Act 2023 to address the challenges in the power sector to the best expectation of Nigerians and the National Electrification Strategy and Implementation Plan.
He concluded by saying; “tasks are tall but looking at the members of the committee, we are individually and collectively taller, especially in our avowed commitment to the Renewed Hope Agenda of Mr. President and the golden ethos of nation-building.”
