Minister of Power Chief Adebayo Adelabu disclosed on Monday that the reasons his predecessors failed in resolving the crisis bedevilling the power sector saying that they started from the top, instead of tackling it from the bottom.

Speaking at the 3^rd Edition of Roundtable for Legislature, Judiciary and Stakeholders” on the enforcement of technical standards and regulations in the multi-tier Nigerian electricity supply industry, in Abuja, the minister noted that he was going to start from bottom up.

“We will focus on customers down to distribution, infrastructure and transmission. We will not neglect generation but we will also focus on the renewable energy. If we are serious in delivering dividends of democracy, power is number one. But we cannot do it alone.

Adelabu noted that his administration will focus on renewable energy because 30 per cent of power comes from renewable energy.

“Solar can work in the North, Middle Belt and South West. We can have wind energy. That’s the part of the strategy that would be unveiled soon” he said.

The minister explained that with the reenactment of the Electricity Act, 2023 his administration will take stock of the power situation and identify the loose ends with a viewing to fixing them.

” It is time to take stock of where we are and where we are going. As you are all aware, one of the major fallouts of the amendment to the Fifth Alteration and the enactment of the Electricity Act 2023 is the “Devolution of Powers” to the sub-nationals (states), to enact their own electricity laws across the value chain of generation, transmission, distribution, trading, and regulation within the confines of states. This has been heralded as a game-changer. Conversely, however, it means that all hands must be on deck, for it is one thing to create the enabling environment and another for the desired change for a better outcome.

“Interestingly, the Electricity Act, 2023 has consolidated virtually all legislations in the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI) and strengthened the role of Nigerian Electricity Management Services Agency (NEMSA) as the lead enforcer of all statutory technical and regulatory standards in order to guarantee the safety of lives and property, with complementary roles assigned to other sister agencies under their respective Acts” he said.

Earlier, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Engineer Aliyu Tukur Tahir regretted that Nigerians do not know much about NEMSA. To this effect, he noted, the agency has faced resistance in its enforcement role.

“In the course of carrying out its mandate in the power sector and other allied industries/workplaces in the past few years, the agency has met with resistance on several occasions. One of the reasons for such resistance is attributed to lack of adequate knowledge about the agency’s mandate in the NESI by the relevant stakeholders.

“This one-day enlightenment and interactive programme for legislators, judiciary, state government representatives and other stakeholders is aimed at bridging the knowledge gap in relation to NEMSA’s enforcement role in the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry. It is also an avenue to sensitise the legislators, and judicial officers on the legal framework for the enforcement of technical standards and regulations in NESI and allied industries,” Tahir, who is also the Chief Electrical Inspector of the Federation, said. (Daily Sun)

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