The Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima, has said there is no way Nigeria can dream of meaningful national economic development without addressing the power sector crisis.
Shettima urged leaders in the country to rise above differences to confront the power sector crisis and become part of the reincarnation of Nigeria as an industrialized nation. He said ensuring Nigerians have access to electricity and other affordable energy is a necessity.
The Vice President stated this on Thursday when he inaugurated the National Economic Council (NEC) Ad Hoc Committee on National Electrification, in Abuja.
Senator Shettima referred to countries with similar challenges of energy insufficiency, such as Indonesia, India, South Africa, and Uganda, pointing out that they are already in the league of those at the forefront of the post-industrial revolution.
“One common thing with these countries and others in the post-industrial revolution community is that they have largely resolved the issue of energy insufficiency.
“There is no doubt that we cannot dream of meaningful national economic development without addressing the issue in the power sector and ensuring that Nigerians have accessible, available and affordable energy,” he said.
Regretting that an estimated 40-70 percent of Nigerians have no formal access to electricity, Shettima said he is comforted by the knowledge that the calibre and experiences of state Governors and other members of the committee “will definitely change the narrative in a positive trajectory.”
He acknowledged the basic challenges in the nation’s power sector, especially the national grid, which has been witnessing system collapse.
He, however, expressed hope that there would soon be significant improvement following the recent reforms in the energy sector which have opened the sector to attract investments, both foreign and local.
“I believe we are well endowed with resources, be it gas, hydro or solar, that allow us to have an optimal energy mix and leverage these resources to build a sector in a resilient manner that ensures energy security for every Nigerian.
“I wish you the best as you embark on this critical assignment, and I want to assure you of my availability as you discharge this onerous assignment. With this, I hereby inaugurate the NEC ad hoc committee on National Electrification Strategy and Implementation Plan,” he stated.
In his remarks, Chairman of the NEC ad hoc committee on National Electrification and Cross River State Governor, Bassey Edet Otu, noted that the Vice President has impaneled the committee with four terms of reference to change the ugly history of incessant national grid collapse in the country, noting that their next task is to get down to work, and do so assiduously until they produce credible, achievable and sustainable results.
“In the command list, one, is to put an end to consistent grid collapse in the energy sector and to work towards deepening states’ engagement within the Electricity Reform Act 2023 to address the challenges in the power sector to the best expectation of Nigerians and the National Electrification Strategy and Implementation Plan.
“These tasks are tall but looking at the members of the committee, we are individually and collectively taller, especially in our avowed commitment to the Renewed Hope Agenda of Mr. President and the golden ethos of nation-building,” he said.