That the federal government has not started to deliver uninterrupted power supply is not for want of efforts. It is, however, a painful fact that much as the Ministry of Power says it has been working on improving energy supply in Nigeria consistent delivery remains a major challenge. But Adebayo Adelabu, Minister of Power, who has tirelessly assured Nigerians that the administration of President Bola Tinubu will make a difference, took another step in Abuja on Tuesday. The minister inaugurated the Ministerial Power Sector Working Group, MPSWG.
Aside that, Directors and Agencies under the supervision of the Ministry also signed performance contract to ensure proper tracking and supervision of projects. Adelabu while speaking at the exercise, said the inauguration of the working group would serve as a platform for supervisory, monitoring and oversight control and clarify issues with detailed explanation of what is happening in the sector, since the activities are inter-related. In a statement signed by Bolaji Tunji, Special Adviser to the Minister of Power on Strategic Communication and Media Relations, the minister who was said to have acknowledged the existence of the meeting in the past, said it was necessary to re-introduce and improve on it. Adelabu also emphasised that the major reason for re-introducing the meeting of the working group was to create a platform for information sharing, dissemination and sector wide communication medium, which he described as key to greater productivity. He revealed that the meeting of the working group would serve more like a backup for sector co-ordination and centralised project management. Adelabu while dissecting some of the benefits of the meeting of the working groups said, “Another aspect is the synergy that we tend to gain from coming together for the first year and capacity optimisation and refresher opportunity for optimum representation of the Power sector.” He then charged the working group to work hard in order to achieve the set target. He said, “What we are doing at the end of the meeting is to ensure the signing of the performance contract which is like a bond that will compel each and everyone of us to deliver on our target” He recalled that “In November 2023, as Minister of Power, I signed a performance contract with the President which actually summarised what the President expects from us.” Apparently, the contract signed on Tuesday was a way of telling the affected agencies and departments that whatever he, as minister, signed with the president was done on behalf of everyone who is involved in the power network. That is why he said, “Now, we have cascaded that contract down to the Departments and Agencies that will contribute to the overall achievement of what we signed with Mr. President as we know that it’s a top -down approach, which is also a bottom-up approach.” The Minister expressed confidence and assurance that the overall target would be achieved as displayed by the response and enthusiasm of the working group. The performance contract was signed on behalf of the agencies by the Chief Executive Officers (CEO) and the Permanent Secretary on behalf of the Directors. Agencies present at the signing ceremony includes the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), Rural Electrification Agency (REA), National Power Training Institute (NAPTIN), Nigerian Electricity Management and Safety Agency (NEMSA), NELMCO, Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) and the Nigeria Bulk Electricity Trading (NBET).
