The Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, on Wednesday said Nigerians have been praising him for improved electricity supply across the country.
The Minister made the statement in Abuja while speaking at the commissioning of the 3-megawatt solar hybrid power project at Yakubu Gowon University, formerly the University of Abuja.
The minister said he had been receiving feedback from electricity consumers following improvements in power supply in some parts of the country.
“Places that didn’t have light at all for three months are now having 18 hours light. Some areas called me to say, look, I should slow down, that everything in their freezer is freezing.
“That is what freezer is meant to do. Let it freeze the food that needs to be frozen,” Tegbe said.
Tegbe said he had promised during his Senate screening that Nigerians would begin to see noticeable improvements in electricity supply within three to six months.
The minister, however, acknowledged the challenges facing the power sector, noting that some electricity infrastructure in the country was more than 40 years old.
“Some of the infrastructure we have in the electricity and power sector are more than 40 years old. We’re systematically replacing them, phasing them out and bringing new ones,” he said.
Tegbe also raised concerns over the vandalism of critical electricity infrastructure, disclosing that three major transmission towers in Birnin Kebbi had been brought down by vandals.
According to him, the affected towers were part of the infrastructure supplying electricity to Kebbi State and extending to Niger Republic.
He said the vandals attacked the foundations of the towers before bringing them down and cutting parts of the structures for sale in the scrap market.
Tegbe said the Federal Government had established a joint working committee involving the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Nigeria Police, and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) to monitor and protect national electricity assets.
“You will not believe how many towers get pulled down by vandals,” he said.
