From Dennis Mernyi, Abuja
The Federal Government has ordered the Distribution Companies (Discos) to immediately submit to the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) their metering plans for further assessment of their level of implementation.
Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, who gave the directives in Abuja Thursday, said government is concerned about the full compliance by Discos on availability of electricity meters to consumers and would no longer tolerate further lapses from the companies or watch Nigerians being exploited.
Fashola who was a guest at The Podium, a town hall forum organised by The Kuka Centre with a theme, “Fixing Nigeria”, however, assured that the government was working out plans to whittle down those debts owed by some Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) during the past administrations and inherited by the present government.
The Kuka Centre is a Nigerian-based policy research institute founded by Most Rev. Matthew Hassan Kuka, Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto.
He said, “government is considering favourable modalities to whittle down the inherited debts owed by some MDAs like the Ministry of Defence, the military and other agencies.”
He disclosed that with the availability of funds now to his ministries, contractors owed by the past administration for various projects, which were abandoned, would be paid soon. “Just yesterday, we got approval to the effect that funds allocated to my ministries can be accessed. But even before now, most contractors who abandoned their sites have resumed work.” On the national housing plan, the Minister said government has worked out a business model to provide a platform for the private sector to develop affordable housing for Nigerians.
“The business model must start with government but the truth is that government alone cannot cope with the housing demands. But a standard uniformity must be set by government then the private sector should be allowed to thrive by the time a concept is created,” he stated.
He said government has also drawn up a road master plan to ensure that major federal roads of economic value are put to use soon.
He said the present administration has focused more attention on roads with economic value. “These are roads where major economic activities that will generate revenue to the federation and we are tackling them.”
The Minister who reiterated government’s commitment to diversifying to other energy sources, regretted that the current gas supply crises that has hit the gas powered generation plants has shown clearly that Energy Mix is the option.
He noted that though gas power generation is costly, it has more capacity generation unlike other sources, adding that government has developed a vibrant plan to promote and enhance renewable energy infrastructure to boost generation.
“The gas power generation plant has competitive advantage over hydro and other sources but with the current situation where the country is suffering serious setback as a result of the sustained attacks by the militants in the Niger Delta region, government would also channel attention to the development of hydro dams, renewable energy infrastructure development, fossil energy, among others,” he stated.
He also assured that government has concluded plans to provide electricity to university campuses across the country, noting that the kind of electricity required by the institutions is also within the capacity that is affordable.