The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, has met with the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF) and States Energy Commissioners to increase power supply in the country through collaboration between states and the federal government.

The meeting with the NGF also focussed on the development of a sub-national electricity market, the Nigeria Sub-National Electricity Markets Support  Programme (NSEMSP), and the National Electricity Policy and Strategic Implementation Plan.

Adelabu, who re-emphasied the cardinal impact of power in the economic growth and development of Nigeria, also spoke on the importance of distributed power to fast-track provision of energy in the country.

The minister, in a meeting held on Tuesday, January 30, 2024, said the governments at the state level have a major role to play, not only in distribution but along all segments of the power sector value chain, including rural electrification.

He added that the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) will be realigning its operational structure to ensure a more visible impact across the country.

Adelabu, who noted that every state is entitled to a portion of the allocation from the funding of rural electrification, enjoined states and the REA to relate more with each other.

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Adelabu said the collaboration with States Energy Commissioners and the electricity boards would enable REA to know where to focus on rural electrification projects, noting that the states are in the best position to know the communities that should benefit from rural electrification projects.

Speaking on bill collection, the minister appealed to the states to assist electricity distribution companies in their domain.

He said: “Liquidity is essential in the sector and we need to improve bill collection, there are places the DisCos may not be able to access, the States thus need to use their apparatus to assist in collection.

“It is equally important for states to establish relationships with DisCos in their various states in case of some emergencies that need urgent attention.”

Adelabu said states should also be encouraged in line with the new Electricity Act to generate hydropower by utilising small dams that are in different communities.

“One of the plans we have is to utilize rivers in some states to generate electricity. There are small dams that can generate between 500 kilowatts and 10 megawatts.

“We want to encourage states to do that including hybridising the hydro with solar for seamless transition during the dry season when the water level is low,” the minister added.

The Director General of NGF, Asishana Okauru, called for the setting up of a working committee between the Ministry of Power and representatives of NGF, adding that the time is ripe for state governments to have representatives on the boards of DisCos alongside the Ministry of Finance Incorporated (MOFI).

The Star