FG Promises Uninterrupted Power Supply Next Year

The Federal Government is promising steady power supply by end of 2014, citing on-going construction works across the country as basis for optimism.

Labaran Maku, minister of information, said: “by 2014, power will no longer be a problem in Nigeria.”

He was speaking during a facilities tour of the 565 megawatts Odukpani Power Plant in Cross Rivers state, still under construction, but expected to commence operation before end of Q4 of 2013.

During a ‘Citizens Forum/Town Hall meeting’ held in Calabar, the Cross River state capital, Maku stated that the “Odukpani Power Plant has been virtually completed; the only thing remaining now is gas supply. At present, there is a contract to supply gas to the power plant before the end of March.

“So, I want to assure Nigerians that before the end of the year the Odukpani power plant will begin to generate power for the country. This is the fourth power plant that we have visited since we started this tour across the country, so by 2014, power will no longer be a problem in Nigeria.”

He was full of optimism that the country would have steady power supply, and also praised Nigerian engineers building transformers at a factory in Calabar.

“We saw Nigerians manufacturing transformers at EPZ with 99 per cent of the engineers being Nigerians, and we saw the high quality jobs that they are doing.”

Following that, Maku noted that it was unwise for the public electricity company to continue importation of electricity transformers from abroad.

His optimism is also hinged on a recently signed MoU between the Nigerian government/private investors and the US General Electric (GE) which promises to invest about $1 Billion into the Nigerian power sector.

“The company (GE) will manufacture gas turban equipment and high profile medical equipment in Nigeria,” said Maku.