Nigeria's power sector has improved in the last two weeks as it recorded high power generation capacity in the country.
Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola
The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, has revealed that power generation in the country has witnessed an improvement as it power generation went up to 4,000 megawatts in the last two weeks.
The Minister disclosed this on Saturday in Benin while inspecting ongoing work at the Aduwawa axis of the Benin-Lokoja highway. According to him, the country faces a major challenge in the power sector which is the shortage of gas to power gas turbines, and that power generation could be increased to 7000 mw if vandalisation of gas pipelines did not take place .
“3000 mw of power is not available because of vandalisation of gas pipelines, which is not helpful to the country. If we can recover the 3000 mw lost to vandalism and add to the 4000 mw, we will have 7,000 mw,” he said.
Fashola disclosed that plans were underway to reconstruct the bad portions of the Ekpoma axis of the Benin- Abuja highway.
“I have gotten recommendations about the failed portions of the Ekpoma axis of the road. I have asked them to get money for the contractor to do full reconstruction of the bad portions, instead of patching it up which will wear away soon,” he said.
On his part, Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki, who was represented by the Deputy Governor Philip Shaibu, called for prompt action on the bad portions of the Auchi -Jattu- Ekpoma highway to prevent total collapse.