The Federal Government has reiterated its determination to increase the capacity of transmission stations in order to achieve optimal power delivery across the country.
The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola,
said this when he paid a courtesy visit on Gov. Samuel Ortom of Benue State in Makurdi.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Fashola had earlier undertaken an assessment visit to the Site and Services Scheme and Apir 330/132/33KV Transmission Station both in Makurdi.
Fashola said the visit was undertaken to assess the capacity needs of the power station in order to make appropriate arrangement to boost its transformer capacity for maximum transmission of power.
“We are here to assess capacity, needs, management and efficiency in the power station and the need for additional transformer capacity.
“We are committed to increasing the transmission capacity of the power stations to deliver stable power across the nation for the benefit of our people.
`It is a fact-finding assessment; we are coming out to verify some of the things we have read and heard in the ministry.
“This assessment is what will make whatever plans we decide to implement to be really credible.
“I have heard a lot of things and I have read a lot of things. The reason for this trip is that I want to marry what I see with what I have read and what I have heard,’’ he said.
Responding, Ortom said that the Nigerian people were confident that Fashola possessed that capability to deliver positive results in the discharge of his new responsibilities.
“Your Ministry is very strategic to Benue State, and the whole country is looking to have you turn things around the way you did in Lagos.
“We are going to work closely with you because your ministry is strategic to the development of our state,’’ Ortom said.
Meanwhile, Gov. Tanko Al-Makura of Nasarawa State has appealed to the Minister of Power, Works and Housing to address the deplorable state of power supply to the state.
Al-Makura made the appeal when Fashola visited him in Lafia in continuation of his assessment of some projects in the North Central geo-political zone.
He said that Lafia, the state capital, had the lowest level of electricity supply from the National Grid.
“I am sure the minister will be shocked if I tell him that of the 36 states, Nasarawa State receives only 33KV.
“We have the 330 KV line passing through Lafia from Enugu to Makurdi and to Jos but during the last four years, there was no effort to drop the 333 KV line which passes just on top of the Government House.
“Even the 132 line that was supposed to improve power supply to Lafia from Akwanga was awarded since 2011 and up to now, TCN has not done anything about it.
“I, therefore, appeal to the Honourable Minister to use his good offices and good gesture to make the people of Nasarawa smile by bringing down the 330KV line,’’ Al-Makura said.
Earlier, Fashola urged state works commissioners to work closely with state controllers of works in order for them to be abreast of the Federal Government agenda for infrastructure development.
“I would like to use this opportunity to also ask the commissioners for works in all the other states that we would visit, to engage more with the state controllers of works, to meet more regularly with them.
“The controllers of works that we have in all the states already have clear directives to give as much support as they can to the state governments; to let them know what they are doing, so that their work can complement one another.
“And wherever we have difficulty in relationship with any controller, I would like to know as quickly as possible what can be done about such difficulties,’’ Fashola stressed. (NAN)
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