FG

The federal government has launched free Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) bus rides in Abuja to alleviate the effects of fuel subsidy removal on residents.

The initiative, which began on Thursday, November 28, 2024, will run until January 6, 2025.

The buses are operating along major routes from suburbs such as Mararaba to Eagle Square, Berger Bus Stop, and Area 1, as well as Zuba.

According to reports from the President Bola Tinubu’s Media Center, plans are underway to expand the project to inter-state commuter services to further ease transportation challenges for Nigerians.

The Nigerian government has announced plans to partner with the private sector to address the $10 billion funding gap required to overhaul the country’s power sector in the next five to ten years.

This move was confirmed after a meeting between the Director General of the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC), Dr. Jobson Oseodion Ewalefoh, and the Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo A. Adelabu, in Abuja on Tuesday.

Dr Ewalefoh stressed the critical role of the private sector in revitalising the power sector. “The investment required in power is very huge and government cannot fund it alone, so we have to leverage the financing capacity of the private sector. That is why the ICRC was set up to regulate this leverage,” he said.

He highlighted that while the government has a vital role, only private-sector collaboration can bring the required capital and expertise.

The Minister of Power echoed these concerns, underscoring the immense investment needed for a stable electricity supply.

“For us to achieve 24-hour power supply across Nigeria in the next 5 to 10 years, there is a minimum funding requirement of about $10 billion. The government cannot afford that, when there are other critical sectors in need of funding. We need to do this in collaboration with the private sector, and the best way is through concession,” Adelabu explained.

Both officials agreed that optimising current infrastructure performance and financing new projects would necessitate close collaboration between public and private entities.

To facilitate this, the ICRC, responsible for regulating public-private partnerships (PPP), is set to streamline the processes involved.

Dr Ewalefoh outlined a six-point policy to accelerate project delivery and prevent delays caused by underprepared companies.

To reassure stakeholders about the integrity of the process, Dr Ewalefoh also discussed the commission’s measures to ensure accountability.

“We are insisting on inserting conditions precedent to all PPP agreements so that any preferred bidder that defaults will have their agreement automatically nullified,” he affirmed.

This initiative marks a significant step toward revitalising Nigeria’s power sector and improving electricity supply nationwide.

The government hopes to unlock foreign direct investment by leveraging private sector investment, stimulating economic growth, and providing Nigerians with consistent, reliable power in the coming years.

The Federal Government has fulfilled its promise to restore power to the northern part of the country that has been in darkness for more than 10 days.

Special Adviser, Strategic Communication and Media Relations to the Honourable Minister of Power, Bolaji Tunji made this known in a press statement on Wednesday.

Tunji stated that restoration was achieved on Wednesday, October 30 as bulk power supply was restored through the 330kV Ugwuaji-Apir transmission line 1 as of 4:56pm, following the completion of repairs on the vandalized section of the line and in line with the Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu’s promise that power would be restored within three days.

He gave the promise on Tuesday while speaking with the Senate Committee on Power.

The blackout which affected 17 States occurred when vandals damaged the Shiroro-Kaduna transmission line, which is the main power supply line to the north.

With the restoration of this line, the Apir-Lafia 330kV transmission line 2 is now operational, while bulk power transmission has been restored to Lafia, Makurdi, Jos, Kaduna, Kano, Bauchi, and Gombe States.

The engineering team will also continue restoration work on the affected sections of the vandalized 330kV transmission line two. All necessary materials for the repairs are on hand, while work will begin as soon as the site is secured for the safety of personnel.

In the meantime, teams of linesmen will re-patrol the 330kV line 2 to ensure that no other sections are impacted as the repair works progress.

Addressing the Senate, the Minister said to prevent repeat of the recent incident, urgent measures must be taken to secure the nation’s assets from being vandalized by bandits and terrorists.

He had also informed the lawmakers that the ministry was working in collaboration with the National Security Adviser (NSA) and other security agencies to ensure that normalcy was restored.

“What we are witnessing, particularly with regard to the power situation in the north is unfortunate but worrisome. I also want to inform you that it is far from grid collapse but purely sabotage and vandalism. The transmission line that takes power to the north was destroyed by bandits and terrorists and what can we do about that? It has happened before. This same line that transmits power from Shiroro to Mando and Kaduna was vandalized and we fixed it without anybody knowing about it. But this time around, it is extremely bad. The bandits also threatened our contractors, who were to fix the vandalized line and that is why we sought the help of the NSA and other security agencies to get the line restored”, he said.

“We have explored an alternative route, which is the Bauchi route though that one also was vandalised anyway but that is easier for us to deal with and that is why we can say that in two to three days, there will be electricity supply to the north”.