By KUNLE KALEJAYE & Ediri Ejoh

THE federal government has pledged its effort to improve human capacity development to enhance technical competence in the power sector.

The Minister of Power, Prof Chinedu Nebo, made the declaration at the recent Power Investors Summit Nigeria, tagged: “Maintaining Momentum in Nigeria’s Power Sector.”

According to him, Nigeria is on the threshold of a huge revolution in power sector. Nebo said, “There is a mechanism in place that is geared toward maximising the availability of power in the country that would enable manufacturing companies, and large and small scale businesses to be able to produce and provide for the people.

“There is a massive investment in transmissions and we are in an investors market that would enhance power generation and distribution in the country. But this would be achieved not so sudden.”

The Minister, however maintained that Government has not given up on its plan to provide a steady power supply in the country, and neither has the private owners.

“The government has in joint effort with the new electricity assets’ owners to develop strategies in meeting the electricity needs in the country and assisting to tackle the present challenges lingering in the sector. “There isn’t anybody who can tell the exact date when the country is going to enjoy a regular power supply. Power is not something you get your return in a day; it takes a sustainable infusion of capital to make sure that it continues to grow in a rate where it is able to meet the demands that are been clamoured for,” he noted. Continuing, he disclosed that the government has targeted between 16 and 24 hours power supply for some cities in the country. “We are ready to meet the needs of Nigerians. We have earmarked several city centres and places in Nigeria with large population and great need for electricity. We have begun to solve their problems from generation, distribution and transmission perspective to remove all the pitfalls and road blocks of getting regular power supply.

“But our huge population is quite a barrier, and it is going to be quite difficult in meeting the needs of everyone to experience this at the same time. For some environs, we are targeting 16 and 24 hours of power supply by the end of the year,” he added.

Nebo therefore pleaded with Nigerians to be patient, knowing that there is a revolution, adding that like all new things, there will undoubtedly be rough edges, but government will not abandon the sector irrespective of the change in ownership.? ?Nebo also reiterated government’s effort at revolutionising the nation’s industrial sector through advancing the power sector, stating that before the coming of the present administration the industrial sector was almost dead even though there are still challenges
In his word; “the industrial cluster in Nnewi, Anambra State in 1996, there were about 47 industries, but by 2013, they have come down to only six industries, the others have died because of power problems.