The Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, has summoned the chief executives of Abuja Electricity Distribution Company and Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company over the worsening power supply in their regions.
Also summoned is the Managing Director, Transmission Company of Nigeria, Sule Abdulazeez, over the deteriorating power situation across the country since January this year.
The power supply situation nationwide has gone from bad to worse since the beginning of this year.
The situation is partly attributed to the over $1bn indebtedness to gas producers who provide gas required for running thermal gas-fired power plants.
Also, there have been series of vandalism of transmission towers in parts of the country leading to grid disturbance and incessant drop in the transmission of electricity across the country.
Worried by the development, Adelabu in a a letter signed by the Director, Distribution Services at the Federal Ministry of Power, B.U Mustapha, ordered the CEOs of the Discos and TCN to attend a meeting holding in the coming week.
They would discuss issues concerning worsening electricity supply in their regions with a view to proffering a lasting solution.
A statement today by the minister’s Special Adviser, Strategic Communications and Media Relations, Bolaji Tunji, quoted Adelabu as saying that the management of other non-performing discos would also be queried over non-performance as reports continue to filter in on situation in their regions.
According to the statement, gas shortage notwithstanding, the ministry had been putting pressure on the power generating companies to improve performance and generation had been ramped up to over 4,000 megawatts in recent days.
Going forward, the minister said focus would be on all the discos to compel them to expected performance while, “wilful non- performance by any disco could suffice as a reason for severe punishment or outright license revocation.”
The minister also directed TCN to immediately commence repair works on the damaged transmission towers and power lines in order to improve supply in the affected regions