The Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, has announced the Federal Government’s efforts to ensure grid stabilisation and reduce power outages so that every Nigerian can have access to steady electricity.
He noted that one such effort was the creation of the Nigerian Independent System Operator, NISO, to address the persistent challenges in the power sector.
The minister, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Power, Muhamadu Mamman, revealed this during the maiden edition of the NISO Management Retreat themed ‘‘NISO on the Move’’ held in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, on Friday.
He said that, apart from the creation of NISO, the Ministry of Power had introduced several policy programmes, such as the building of substations, grid extension, and the Presidential Metering Initiative, to ensure that steady and sustainable power supply is achieved in no distant time.
The minister, who acknowledged the enormous resources required to build the power sector, called for public-private partnership, even as he disclosed that there had been no disturbances on the grid since the creation of NISO, adding that power supply had significantly improved.
His words: “The creation of NISO is something that the government is doing differently to ensure that there’s grid stabilisation, reduction in power outages, and to ensure that each and every Nigerian has access to electricity. This meeting is an avenue for them to plan, to strategise and that was why all of us are here,to support them, to make sure that they succeed as an organisation, and to make sure that the country gets stable power supply.”
Speaking, the Managing Director of NISO, Engr Abdu Bello Mohammed, said the organisation was created to complement what government is doing by attracting private-sector investment and optimising existing investment in the power sector.
He added that NISO was working hard to ensure the reliability and stability of the grid, regretting that many industries and manufacturers had gone off-grid following past instability.
“Many industries have gone off the grid due to unreliability so we are working hard to attract some of these people back to the grid,” he said.
In his goodwill message, the chairman of the Board of Directors, Dr Adesegun Olugbade, commended NISO for its efforts in ensuring the successful synchronisation of the Nigerian grid with the West African Power Pool, WAPP.
“Through strengthened coordination, transparent communication, and the professionalism of our system operators, Nigeria’s grid together with Niger and parts of Benin and Togo was synchronised with the rest of West Africa, from Nigeria to Mauritania, operating seamlessly at a single frequency for four uninterrupted hours. This was no ordinary milestone. It was the result of teamwork, discipline, and technical excellence,” he said.
Also speaking, the Akwa Ibom State governor, Umo Eno, who was represented by the Commissioner of Power, Iniobong Robson, commended NISO for its achievements, adding that since its establishment, it has demonstrated discipline and clarity in its mandate.
