Victor Ezeja
AdminThe Nigerian Government on Thursday assured investors that the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led administration is poised to ensure adequate supply of electricity across the country, particularly to designated industrial clusters.
The Vice President, Kashim Shettima, gave the assurance during the Agbara Business Roundtable held in Agbara, Ado-Odo-Ota Local Government Area of Ogun State, assuring that the country holds tremendous opportunities for not only investors but also the people.
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The event was organized to launch an initiative to ensure dedicated power supply to industrial clusters across the country, starting with Agbara Industrial Estate.
Shettima expressed the commitment of the Tinubu government to make power available to the entire country, maintaining that “it is embarrassing that the Agbara Cluster relies on other sources of power supply aside from the national grid.”
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He pointed out that the Federal Government through the Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC) is committed to ensuring that clusters like Agbara benefit from a cheaper means of generating power in their various factories.
The Vice President, who chairs the NDPHC Board of Directors, promised that the Agbara Industrial Estate will have a steady power supply in the next four months.
His words: “I am here to reassure the business community that we mean business. I want to give you my word and my word is my bond, if you need 200 Megawatts, 300 Megawatts, we can give it to you.
“Be rest assured, we are going to supply your power needs with no strings attached. We are giving power to Togo, I think we are giving 100 Megawatts to Togo, and some of these nations are not even paying us. Why can’t we give to businesses that will pay us? It is just simple arithmetic; it is a matter of economics.”
Shettima charged the staff of NDPHC to double their efforts by ensuring the delivery of the Agbara Industrial Cluster power program in three to four months.
“It is all about advocacy, it is about people believing in you and I have the confidence of my boss, such that I can talk authoritatively. He is very passionate about the Nigerian project. He is very committed to repositioning this nation,” he said.
Also speaking at the event, the Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun pointed out that all infrastructure provided for the use of the people of the state and the country as a whole would be in vain without stable and reliable electricity.
Abiodun, who disclosed that his administration has established additional industrial clusters, said “we believe that such initiatives like this speak to ensuring the sustainability of competitive industrialization and one must not but salute this initiative.
“We as a state have gone ahead besides this Agbara Cluster, we have five other clusters. We have one by the Interchange called Remo Cluster, we are creating a new one called the Magboro Cluster. We are creating our own Aerotropolis which is our special agro-processing zone, which will be the first of its kind in Nigeria. We also have the Ijebu-Ode cluster because we believe that it is through these clusters that we can jump-start socio-economic activity.
“These clusters, what do they seem to do, we provide the parcel of land, provide the needed infrastructure and this attracts industrial activities.
“But, without a doubt, without stable, reliable and clean power, all these initiatives will be in vain. So, to that extent, we are extremely excited,” he said.
On his part, the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwoolu represented by his Deputy, Dr Obafemi Hamzat said ensuring adequate power supply in the country is complex because of the attitudes of Nigerians.
Hamzat regretted that the country could only transmit 4,000 Megawatts out of the about 13,000 Megawatts of electricity that is generated.
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