In the face of the epileptic power supply being experienced in the country, the Federal Government has disclosed plans to make electricity available for Nigerians, especially those living in the rural communities.
The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, while inaugurating a Power Steering Committee, said the government was determined to build and energise small hydros, scattered across the country, so that they could provide electricity to the various rural communities.
With this latest decision, some Chieftains of the All Progressives Congress, APC, have applauded the move by the President Muhammadu Buhari-led government, in providing stable power to rural communities.
In a bid to ensure a speedy delivery of the Committee, the Minister gave the members 45 days to complete its assignment, from procurement procedure, to civil and mechanical engineering works.
He explained that the outcome of the assignment given to the Committee, was needed to be done in the quest for quick completion of the projects.
According to the former Lagos Governor, the assignment of quickly energizing these small dams, is consistent with the target of government, that by year 2020 at least, the energy mix for renewable energy sources, would be 30%.
Fashola, challenged the Committee to work hard in the service of the nation, reminding them that our rural folks desire better deal in this dispensation.
“We must touch the lives of people in the rural areas, by improving their economy through deepening of their access to electricity”.
He implored them to ensure focus in the relaxation of Government’s plan for incremental power, by contributing their quota in the quest of harnessing all our energy resource.
Just after the inauguration of the Inter-agency Committees, drawn from Ministries of Mineral Resources, Petroleum, Water Resources, Environment, Agriculture, Bureau of Public Enterprises, BPE, and the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission, ICRC, the Committees went into their Executive Sessions, in which it was decided that of the 45 small dams in the Country, 8 have been selected for this first phase exercise.
They include; Tiga, Challawa dams in Kano State, Omi-Kampe in Kogi State, Jibiya, Zone dams in Katsina State, Bakalori in Zamfara State, Doma in Nassarawa State and Ikere Gorge in Oyo State.
Meanwhile, Fashola had earlier stated in Kaduna, at the end of the second edition of the National Council of Power, NCP, that the only solution to the persistent epileptic power supply, is for hoodlums to stop vandalism of gas pipelines in the Niger Delta region.
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