Power provide: 1.5m prospects metered, N6trn legacy debt being tackled in Nigeria – ADC-PCC

The All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council (APC-PCC) has defended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s 2023 marketing campaign promise to deal with Nigeria’s electrical energy challenges, insisting that the pledge should be assessed in its full context alongside the administration’s document since assuming workplace.

It added that Tinubu remained dedicated to his electrical energy pledge and would current his achievements and excellent challenges to Nigerians as he seeks a second time period.

While stating that “Fixing the electricity market and power sector is an ongoing work,” it  defined that electrical energy infrastructure tasks required tools with lengthy supply intervals and couldn’t be accomplished in a single day.

 “President Tinubu has not deviated an inch from his commitment,” the council mentioned, including that he would “proudly present his scorecard in the power sector and clearly tell Nigerians what remains to be done,” marketing campaign spokesman, Dr Dele Alake,  mentioned this in an announcement  Sunday in Abuja.

It recalled Tinubu’s assembly with members of the Organised Private Sector in Lagos forward of the 2023 common elections, the place he pledged to sort out estimated billing and different longstanding issues within the energy sector.

At the assembly, Tinubu mentioned: “Whichever way, by all means necessary, you will have electricity, and you will not pay for estimated bills anymore. A promise made will be a promise kept. If I don’t keep the promise and I come for a second term, don’t vote for me, unless I give you adequate reasons why I couldn’t deliver.”

The council argued that some latest public commentaries had reproduced the pledge with out its concluding qualification, which said that the president would offer Nigerians with enough causes if he didn’t fulfil the promise earlier than in search of a second time period.

“While fixing the power sector crisis remains unfinished, the President is working consistently to deliver on his promise to Nigerians, and his commitment to face the challenges head-on has never diminished,” he mentioned

It maintained {that a} truthful evaluation ought to contemplate the whole assertion and the administration’s document, measured in opposition to enhancements in electrical energy provide, metering, infrastructure and market stability.

While acknowledging that resolving Nigeria’s energy sector disaster remained unfinished, the council mentioned Tinubu was working constantly to fulfil his promise.

…Lists milestones

According to the assertion, Tinubu signed the Electricity Act, 2023, on June 9, inside two weeks of assuming workplace.

The regulation, it mentioned, opened up the electrical energy sector to state participation in energy era, distribution and transmission.

The council listed Lagos, Enugu, Abia, Ekiti, Oyo, Kaduna and Niger among the many states that had begun profiting from the regulation by establishing electrical energy regulatory companies and attracting personal funding.

It additionally mentioned the administration had taken steps to deal with the sector’s monetary challenges, together with tackling greater than N6 trillion in legacy money owed collected between 2015 and 2025, launching the Presidential Metering Initiative to bridge a metering hole of greater than seven million prospects, and aligning electrical energy tariffs extra carefully with prices to enhance market liquidity.

The assertion added that the federal government had launched measures to guard low-income households whereas persevering with investments in substations and grid growth.

On metering, the council disclosed that greater than 1.5 million prospects had been metered underneath the Presidential Metering Initiative within the final three years.

It additionally mentioned the Rural Electrification Agency had related universities, hospitals and rural communities to solar energy.

The administration, in keeping with the assertion, had unveiled plans to modernise the Osogbo Grid Control Centre, which it described as greater than 60 years previous, and assemble an East-West tremendous grid.

On excellent money owed owed to energy era and fuel corporations, the council mentioned Tinubu’s administration had established a N4 trillion bond programme to settle verified legacy money owed owed to 21 era corporations and fuel corporations.

It disclosed that the primary and second tranches of the programme had raised greater than N1.2 trillion in direction of settling a part of the verified debt.

The council mentioned the intervention had decreased market dangers and inspired contemporary funding in energy era, citing Geregu Power Plc’s latest announcement of investments in new energy transformers to enhance operations on the Geregu 1 Power Plant.

The assertion additionally highlighted the administration’s continuation of the Presidential Power Initiative, which was launched underneath the late President Muhammadu Buhari.

According to the council, Tinubu reviewed the prevailing settlement and signed an Acceleration Agreement with the German companions in December 2023 to hurry up tasks geared toward strengthening the transmission grid.

 It added that the Federal Executive Council permitted contracts in December 2024 for the primary batch of 5 Transmission Company of Nigeria substations to be upgraded in key electrical energy load centres.

The tasks, the assertion mentioned, had been being accomplished and had been anticipated to be commissioned earlier than the tip of the administration’s first time period.

It additional disclosed that the Federal Executive Council permitted one other batch of tasks in June 2026 involving the development of eight new substations and the improve of 4 current services in chosen load centres.

 …Tariffs

On electrical energy tariffs, the assertion mentioned Tinubu had recognized industrial challenges as a serious impediment to bettering the sector, noting that operators wanted cost-reflective tariffs whereas electrical energy remained inexpensive for many Nigerians.

 It mentioned the introduction of service bands was meant to enhance the monetary viability of distribution corporations, strengthen money movement throughout the sector and cut back the federal government’s monetary burden related to tariff subsidies.

The council added that the administration would proceed exploring methods to enhance the sector’s industrial efficiency whereas defending electrical energy entry for deprived Nigerians.