Isaac Anumihe, Abuja
The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola, has said that the Muhammadu Buhari administration has improved electricity situation making the citizens run generators for shorter periods.
To this end, Nigerians now spend less money on diesel to power their generating sets and they no longer iron their clothes one week in advance as they used to do. The Minister stated this in Abuja while giving account of his stewardship for his three years in office.
“The report of our survey and feedback mechanism confirm that many of you now have public power for longer hours compared to 2015 and you now run generators for shorter periods compared to 2015 and you now spend less money on diesel to power your generators.
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“As some citizens recently reported, they no longer have to iron all their clothes one week in advance as they previously used to do because the supply is proving reliable and predictable even if not yet stable and uninterrupted” he said.
According to him, as the policies on mini grids, meter asset provider, eligible customer and liquidity sustenance and improved governance deepens, power supply will get even better.
He said that the evidence of improved power was captured in the last quarter of the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) report for Q2 of 2018, which shows a growth of 7.5 per cent in the electricity sector, a clear departure from 2014 to 2015.
“This is progress that we must move forward by consolidating on our mandate of change. We cannot go back,” he stated.
On the 2nd Niger Bridge, he said that although the project was abandoned, the Muhammadu Buhari Administration has brought it back to life.
“Difficult or abandoned projects like the 2nd Niger Bridge, Lagos-Ibadan Expressway and the Bodo-Bonny Bridge have been brought back to life.
“Sections of Ilorin-Jebba, Sokoto to Jega, Sokoto-Ilela have been completed while progress of work continues nationwide from Jaga to Mayo Belwa, Enugu to Port Harclourt, Lagos to Otta, Ikorodu to Shagamu, Benin to Okene, Lokoja to Otta, Kano to Maiduguri, Abuja-Kaduna, Kano to mention a few” he said.
Similarly, Fashola said, the old Niger Bridge that links Anambra and Delta is receiving regular maintenance attention.
For Nigerians travelling for the Yuletide season, Fashola assured them of safety as the government has set up a planning committee who will work with Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA) to make movement during the period as conducive as possible.
“FRSC will deploy their personnel across the major transport corridors of the country during this period of heavy movement to help manage traffic.
They have committed to setting up nine camps and 18 help areas across the zones to provide support and help commuters in need” he noted.