The Minister of Power, Prof. Chinedu Nebo, has taken steps to strengthen the capabilities of the power generation and distribution companies to improve electricity supply.
Nebo, who held a meeting with the chief executive officers of generation companies (Gencos) and distribution companies (Discos) and other heads of parastatals, and top officials of the ministry, asked them to list the challenges and issues that militate against achieving the expected aspirations of the government to attaining stable power supply before the end of year.
The meeting described by the Special Assistant to the Minister on Media and Communications, Mrs. Kande Daniel, frank, was a strategic step towards addressing issues in the power industry, she added.
The chief executive officers of the Gencos and Discos, it was learnt, complained of inadequate funding and non-payment of their impress since the companies were unbundled from its parent body, the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN).
The CEOs noted that the unbundling saddled them with numerous responsibilities, which formerly were shouldered by the PHCN.
Another major issue raised at the meeting, The Nation learnt, was the dearth of manpower, especially of engineers and technicians. It was also gathered that the majority of the team of engineers and technicians of the PHCN successor companies are old and most of them cannot climb electricity poles. It was resolved that the PHCN companies should strengthen those areas by employing younger workforce..
The Director-General of National Power Training Institute of Nigeria (NAPTIN), Reuben Okeke, attended the meeting, was mandated to explore ways of enhancing the engineering section of the utility firm by leveraging on local content as much as possible.
For the implementation of local content strategy in power, NAPTIN was mandated to produce highly skilled power sector professionals to take up positions in the power sector revolution that is being unleashed.
NAPTIN would be required to equip the young professionals with skills to drive the energy sector in line with international best practice, a step that is expected to save the nation funds that would have been expended on escrow sourcing of such specialised manpower.
Impressed by the ingenuity of the CEOs, Nebo promised to draw up a programme to address the issues. He directed that a follow-up action committee that would articulate the challenges and problems, already identified be set up. It would be under the chairmanship of the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Power, Dr. Godknows Igali.
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