By Johnbosco Agbakwuru

Vice President Kashim Shettima has said ongoing power projects to light up industrial clusters across the country were an indication that President Bola Tinubu’s administration was on a journey of rekindling the flames of enterprise.

He also said the federal government’s commitment to revamping Nigeria’s infrastructure framework was the much-needed drive to empower Nigerians and strengthen the nation’s economic policies.

Senator Shettima stated these during his visit to  Agbara industrial cluster for the launch of a collaboration between the Niger Delta Power Holding Company Limited, NDPHC, and its partners on the project to light up industrial clusters.

According to him, while the government has embraced the past as a lesson in mapping a new path for a robust power sector, the historical mistakes that have brought Nigeria to the point it is are rather an inspiration to work harder.

The vice president in a statement by Stanley Nkwocha, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications, Office of the Vice President, said:  “For too long, some of these ventures were forced to pack up, their potential stifled by the persistent energy constraints.

”Today, we embark on a journey of empowerment, a journey aimed at rekindling the flames of enterprise and ensuring that the promise of prosperity prevails over the darkness of past hindrances.

“We have gone a full cycle in the search for solutions to our energy crisis. We have unbundled and privatized the power assets in generation, transmission, and distribution. We have also implemented the National Integrated Power Project, NIPP, through the NDPHC.”

He vowed to closely monitor the progress of work in the ongoing power projects to light up industrial clusters across the country, with a view to holding every relevant official accountable.

“I assure you that, in my capacity as the Board Chairman of NDPHC, I will hold every relevant official accountable and closely monitor the progress achieved in this project. We owe Nigerians this success story,” the VP declared.

He reiterated the commitment of the Tinubu administration “to providing the necessary institutional and policy support to ensure the successful delivery of the project.”

While delivering his address, titled “Lighting the Path to Economic Development,” Shettima expressed gratitude to the governors of Ogun, Lagos and Oyo states where the NDPHC was already developing similar projects, as well as the companies involved.

He noted that the partnership between state-owned power companies and the private sector was an embodiment of progress, teamwork, and commitment to foster synergy, to enhance the productivity of businesses and institutions in the country.

The partnership, according to him, doesn’t only align with the vision of the federal government to transform Nigeria into a premier investment destination but also to serve as an industrial benchmark in Africa.

He added that it was an affirmation of President Tinubu’s resolve to revamp the country’s infrastructure framework.

The VP stated: “The launch of this strategic collaboration between our company, Niger Delta Power Holding Company Limited, NDPHC, and its key partners for the design, development, and operation of projects to supply dedicated, steady, and quality power to major industrial and commercial clusters in Nigeria echoes President Bola Tinubu’s pledge to reinvigorate our nation’s infrastructure framework.

“The choice of Agbara in Ogun State, as the pilot site of this, is due to its function as an artery of Nigeria’s industrial structure. This is our resolve to breathe new life into the enterprises that sustain our economy.”

Noting that addressing the supply deficit in the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry, NESI, was an intervention that aimed to reverse “the generational setbacks that businesses with immense promise have endured,” Shettima said it was one thing to attract investors to the country, and another to make them stay.

He further assured that lighting up industrial clusters across the country signposted the beginning of a promised opportunity for Nigeria.

Earlier in his remarks, Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State said the location of the pilot phase of the initiative was informed by the viability of Agbara Industrial area as the most successful industrial estate in the country.

He said the initiative aligned with his administration’s drive to provide critical infrastructure in industrial clusters across the state and thanked President Bola Tinubu and VP Shettima for prioritizing the power sector, noting that it would unlock potentials in different sectors of the economy.

On his part, the Minister of Power, Mr Adebayo Adelabu, said the interaction with stakeholders around the Agbara Industrial estate was part of efforts by the federal government to deliver safe and reliable electricity to industrial and heavy-user clusters across the country.

He expressed optimism that the initiative to ensure effective power supply to the Agbara industrial estate would be achieved and could be a model to be replicated across the country.

On his part, Mr Obafemi Hamzat, the Deputy Governor of Lagos State, said the challenges experienced in the power could be surmounted with effective collaboration and partnership as well as adherence to set standards and due process.

He urged all stakeholders to be cautious in their comments and opinions about systems and institutions in Nigeria.

Also speaking on the occasion, the MD/CEO, Niger Delta Power Holding Company, NDPHC, Mr Chiedu Ugbo, said the event signified the unwavering commitment and determination of the Tinubu administration to leverage partnerships with stakeholders to address challenges associated with electricity access for Nigerian homes and businesses.

He said NDPHC remained committed to promoting the bilateral power sales initiative as one of the measures adopted by the company to deliver electricity to industrial clusters and businesses across the country.