…Says President’s vision is uninterrupted electricity within 7yrs
Immediate-past governor of Kaduna State, Nasir el-Rufa’i has revealed that ownership and management structure of at least six indebted electricity distribution companies (DisCos) would be changed in new reforms planned for the power sector of the President Bola Tinubu administration.
El-Rufa’i, who is the ministerial nominee from Kaduna State and tipped to lead the Energy Ministry, revealed this on Tuesday when he was screened by the Senate. The former governor further disclosed that President Tinubu wants to achieve constant power supply in the country in the next seven years.
The former Director-General of the Bureau of Public Enterprise (BPE), tapped by President Bola Tinubu to solve Nigeria’s power challenges, had been involved in the sector long enough to know where all the bones are buried. He said he was involved in drafting the rules for the country’s power sector privatisation and an early draft of what became the Petroleum Industry Act.
El-Rufa’i, in keeping with his reputation for tough reforms, revealed that deep reforms are coming in the power sector. He said a stress test on the DisCos revealed that only three are viable, hence a change in their management was inevitable. He identified the poor capacity of the DisCos to generate enough cash to keep the system liquid as a fundamental threat facing the sector.
El-Rufa’i further said that to improve power generation, the country must look into what is constraining the full production of electricity. He identified insufficient gas supply as a major problem bedevilling power generation.
The country has faced a power crisis in years with the national grid known for experiencing disruptions. The grid experienced 206 collapses between 2010 and 2019, and collapsed in February, May, July, and August 2021, and 2022.
