… ADVICE IT
MOVES SOME FACILITIES OFF THE NATIONAL GRID.
Niger State Governor, farmer Mohammed Umaru Bago has emphasized the need for the Management of the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company AEDC, Minna Business office to improve its service delivery.
The farmer Governor stated this at the round table discussion with the officials of the AEDC at the government house, Minna.
He observed that power supply in Minna is yet to significantly improve after his last meeting with the AEDC Management on Thursday last week.
The farmer Governor who expressed concern that in terms of power supply, procurement of power infrastructure and installation, the AEDC has not been efficient and effective.
He said his administration has expended so much in the power sector, adding that it has procured over 1,000 transformers across the State in the past 3 months just to make life easier for the people.
The farmer Governor said that AEDC will refund the State either in cash or in power supply as it is her responsibility to provide the needed infrastructure for power.
He advised the AEDC to make a schedule of power supply and utilise the media to inform the public about their power supply timing for each area and to also have a yard for transformers and other power infrastructure.
The farmer Governor tasked the Commissioner for Power and Renewable Energy, Bashir Mohammed Lokogoma, his Finance Counterpart, Lawal Adamu Maikano and the media to closely monitor the services of AEDC henceforth, with the view to finding out how and where the State government will intervene.
He also directed the Commissioner for Power and Renewable Energy to ensure amour cable is provided to Gbegadnu community, to enable them enjoy power supply.
According to him, State Government is to transition some of its facilities such as government house, IBB Specialist hospital, water board, and Secretariat among others, off the national grid soon.
The farmer Governor said the State government intends to have a 200 megawatt solar park and other initiatives that would provide effective alternative power supply.
He said already all the street lights in the State have been changed to solar, adding that efforts are being made through relevant agency to provide a mini grid of 25 megawatts across all the local government areas of the State.
The farmer Governor further revealed that the State government is in partnership with its own Private Company to provide 10,000 different capacities of solar to 10,000 interested homes in the next one month and that the target is to reach out to 100,000 homes by the end of this year.
He said while the State government is intensifying efforts in providing alternative source of power to its citizenry, it will ensure that AEDC do the needful in power supply especially as the State is hosting 4 hydroelectric dams.
The Chief Business Officer, AEDC, Engr. Sam Odekina in his response said the Company has not reneged on its promise of improving power supply as it has been maintaining the hours of light supplied to areas based on their Service base tariffs, except for areas with localised faults.
Engr. Odekina informed the farmer Governor that AEDC has rectified and restored power to IBB Specialist Hospital and that the issue of low voltage in some areas has equally been resolved.
He acknowledged that the farmer Governor has been supportive of AEDC through the several power infrastructures, saying that AEDC remains highly appreciative of the gesture and re-assured commitment to serving the people better.
