News: Federal Government to Engage Over 1,000 Engineers - Power Sector

The power challenge which is currently affecting all aspect of the nation's economy may soon receive succor as the Federal Government has raised hope on reliable power supply.

Also, the sector has revealed plans to reduce unemployment by engaging skilled workers who would move the sector forward.

According to the minister of power, Prof. Chinedu Nebo since the sector was privatized, it has hired about 2, 000 engineers stressing that Nigerians would soon enjoy uninterrupted power supply.

Addressing press men in at the re-commissioning of the sixth unit of Egbin power plant, the minister said the "sector was unable to hir a single engineer for about sixteen years before privatization"

He said the nation has started seeing the fruit of the private sector involvement in the power sector, stressing that about N50 billion was invested into the Egbin power plant which is one of the largest power plants in West Africa.

Nebo said that the relaunch of the unit six turbines of Egbin power plant and the Olorunsogbo plant would serve Lagos industrial zones and improve on the industrialization agenda of the government. He added that other projects across the country were at the verge of completion and would soon translate into reality for the Nigerian citizens.

Nebo said the disruption in the gas pineline has been a serious issue to the problem of gas supply to power plants. He said the government is currently servicing other gas outputs to ensure that gas is supplied to power stations across the country.

"The major problem is caused by vandalism and the government is working very hard to make sure that digital surveillance system are in place so that one is able to find out where these things occur", Nebo said.

"It is not that these challenges are in surmountable but it is just that they pure sabotage, some people want to frustrate all the effort of the government to make sure that power is delivered to Nigerians” he added.

President Gooodluck Jonathan earlier disclosed that Federal government targets boosting industrialization and grow the national economy through Egbin power plants that would give additional 220 megawatts to the national grid.

The president said the progress of the power sector reform has given clear direction to reliable power supply in the country adding that he was encouraged by the efforts made by the private sector investment in power the value chain.

Jonathan said, since the roadmap of the power sector reform was launched, the funding of the power sector has taken a drastic dimension to see that power supply is stabilized in the country and that the country would soon get out of epileptic power supply.
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He said the power sector reforms Act of 2005 has opened up the country to potentials through which the power sector would help to develop the economy of the country stressing that stabilization in the power sector would improve the living standard of the Nigerian citizens.

The president said his .administration was determined to stabilize power to ensure that small and medium scale enterprises continue to strive since they lack the capacity to generate their own power.

Restated that the rehabilitation of the 220 megawatts unit six turbines which has re-installed Egbin to full capacity of 1320MW would serve the Lagos industrial zone, stressing that the initiative would ensure that the national industrial sector.

Source: Guardian