The Federal Executive Council (FEC), during an extraordinary meeting on Thursday, approved 16 electricity projects at N65,387,644,709.

This is as the Federal Government attributed the prevalent unstable power supply in the country to the long years of neglect of infrastructure development in the sector.

Minister of Power, Abubakar Aliyu, disclosed these while briefing State House Correspondents after the extraordinary FEC meeting, presided over by the Vice President Yemi Osinbajo at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Some of the projects costs are in both dollar and naira, euro and naira and only naira components, all put at N31,360,272,397; $65,606,420 and €15,152,651.

According to him, it is obvious that government is doing a lot to remedy the situation with more investments in the sector, which he said had manifested in the less system collapsed being witnessed in the country.

Aliyu, whose ministry presented 16 memoranda during the special council meeting, said the present administration has done more than any other to ensure that Nigerians enjoy improved supply of electricity.

While noting that the Federal Government has placed order for power equipment, the minister assured that Nigerians will soon see the outcome of the ongoing investments.

Aliyu maintained the present power generation in the country is about 5,000mw as he decried what he termed the weak transmission grid.

“Today, I presented to council 16 memos, which I seek for council’s approval and the council graciously approved all of them. At this point, let me say what these approvals will do to the nation’s electricity supply.

“As we’re all aware, the major problem we’re having in the Electricity Supply Industry is to be able to evacuate sufficient electricity and distribute them. That is to say, we have a very weak transmission grid and distribution segment of the value chain.

“We may not be having much problem with generation. So, unless we’re able to strengthen the electricity grid, which is nationwide, and to expand, and to be able to evacuate, what the grid can take to consumers, we will have a lot of problems ahead of us.

“So, what we’re doing currently through various and several interventions is to be able to repair the grid by constructing new transmission lines, bringing in new equipments to replace the old ones at our substations. So, that will release more capacity to the distribution and leading to the customers.

“So, the operational capacity, as you all know now is hovering around 5,000 megawatts and the transmission and distribution.

“So, these projects that we brought to council today and got approvals are all geared towards strengthening the willing capacity of the transmission and towards distribution, even though as you all know, the distribution segment of the NESI (Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry) is been privatised, but we cannot fold our arms and allow them to continue not to do much in order to evacuate what the transmission can bring.

“But as it is now, even the transmission is not that strong. So, we need to put more investment into the transmission so that we can improve the willing capacity of the TCN to be able to take up enough electricity from the generation.

“So, these memos. Although 16 of them but they’re all geared towards achieving what I’ve just explained,” he said.

Reeling out the 16 approved projects and their various costs, the minister said: “The approval was given for the award of contract for the construction of a 2X60MVA 132/33 KVA substation at Ikare-Akoko and 2×132 KV Lines Bay Extension at Oke-Agbe, Ondo State at the cost of $9,9928,912.80 and N2,037,076,700.00.

“Supply of 65 Hilux vehicle and 20 SUVs nationwide at the cost of N2,741,787,500.00.

Procurement of 1,500 drums of transformer 001 nation wide at N322,500,000.00.

Supply of 19 Sergi transformer explosion and fire protection devices nationwide at €5,326,663,70 and N347,629,092.57.

“Construction of 142KV double circuit line in Ikere-Ijesa-Isu-Ilupeju towns, Ado-Ekiti State, $30,880,393.82 and N8,344,898,490.86.

Construction of New National Control Center at Osogbo, Osun State at N1,168,318,638.68.

“Construction of New National Control Center at Gwagwalada, FCT at N1,161,915,489.76. Supply of 180 of Grounding Equipment nationwide at €686,043.50 and N41,378,244.25.

“Additional work on 330KV double line to Mando substation in Kaduna at N893,011,356.42. Construction of 2X60MVA, 132/33KV substation at Ogbomosho and 2X 132KVLine Bags Extension at Ganmo substation at Ilorin at €5,274,245.00 and N457,708,341.02.

“Contracts for design, manufacture, supply at N4,325,652,643.50. Installation and commissioning of transmission lines of 330/132/33 KV Lekki, Lagos. LOT 1 and LOT 2, at N2,812,767,499.00.

“Augmentation for the construction of 2X60MVA 132/33 KVA substation at Malumfashi and 4X132KV Line Bats at Kankara at Katsina at N176,517,897.88.

“Supply and delivering of 40 each of primary and secondary injection test sets nationwide at €3,865,700.00 and N212,386,640.00,” he said.

Explaining the reason for convening the extraordinary Council meeting, the second in the week, Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said it was to ensure the council begins on a clean slate in 2022. (The Nation)

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