Adebayo Adelabu, the Minister of Power, has announced that Nigeria needs at least $10 billion each year for the next ten to twenty years to establish a functional, reliable, and stable electricity supply. He made this statement during the inauguration of a 600kW and 3MW Solar PV Power Plant at the Nigerian Defence Academy in Kaduna on Tuesday.
Adelabu emphasized that there are fundamental challenges that must be addressed to make such an investment effective. He highlighted the importance of a solid legislative and policy framework, which has been bolstered by the recent signing of the Energy Bill into law by the current administration.
“This bill has facilitated the liberalization and decentralization of the power sector, allowing all levels of government—federal, state, and local—to play legal and ethical roles in the power sector for the benefit of their citizens at sub-national levels.
“This has granted autonomy to over eleven states, with more anticipated to join. These states are now empowered to engage in the power sector, encompassing generation, transmission, distribution, and even metering.”
“Additionally, we must tackle the infrastructure deficit that has built up over the past 60 years due to inadequate maintenance and insufficient investment in revitalizing our transmission grid.”
The Minister also highlighted the importance of closing the more than 50 percent metering gap, noting that the Presidential Initiative aims to address this by installing 18 million meters within the next five years.
He pointed out that the commissioning of the 600kW and 3MW Solar PV Power Plant at the esteemed Nigerian Defence Academy demonstrates the Federal Government’s commitment to addressing the electricity deficit.
“These projects, carried out by the Federal Ministry of Power and the Rural Electrification Agency, reflect our dedication to enhancing electrification across key institutions.”
