The Federal Government on Wednesday threatened to revoke the licences of power distribution companies (DisCos) over the incessant power shortage nationwide.
The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, in a statement pointed out that government was concerned about the lingering inadequate electricity distribution by the Discos, especially when the power generation companies (GenCos) had recently increased national grid output to 4000MW.
The minister recalled that he has summoned chief executives of Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) and Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IEDC), and the Managing Director of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) a few days ago to brief him on the challenges in power distribution across the country.
He stated: “The Ministry has been exerting pressure on the Generating Companies (GENCOs) to enhance their performance, resulting in a recent increase in generation to over 4000MW.
“Despite this progress, certain distribution companies are failing to adequately distribute the power supplied by TCN, while vandalism of power infrastructure exacerbates the problem in regions such as Abuja, Benin, Port Harcourt, and Ibadan.
“Moving forward, I am committed to holding all distribution companies accountable for their performance.
“Willful non-performance will not be tolerated, and severe consequences, including license revocation, may be imposed.
“Additionally, I have instructed TCN to prioritize repair works on damaged transmission towers and power lines to improve supply in affected regions”, Adelabu added.
Expatiating further, the minister hinted that steps were being taken to clear outstanding debts owed companies involved in power generation and gas supply as a strategic step towards reducing their financial burdens and boosting power generation nationwide.
He assured: “Plans are underway to settle outstanding debts owed to power generation and gas supply companies, which will alleviate the financial strain and contribute to improved generation levels nationwide.
“I urge electricity consumers to remain patient as we work tirelessly to address these issues and provide better service to all Nigerians”, the minister added.
