By Gloria Uchenna

The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, has summoned the chief executives of Abuja Electricity Distribution Company and Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company over the worsening power supply in their regions.

Also summoned is the Managing Director of the Transmission Company of Nigeria, Sule Abdulazeez, over the deteriorating power situation across the country since January this year.

The power supply situation nationwide has gone from bad to worse since this year, owing to the over $1bn indebtedness to gas producers who provide gas required for running thermal gas-fired power plants.

Also, there have been a series of vandalism of transmission towers in various parts of the country leading to grid disturbance and incessant drop in the transmission of electricity across the country.

Worried by the development, Adelabu in a letter signed by the Director of Distribution Services at the Federal Ministry of Power, B.U. Mustapha ordered the CEOs of the Discos and TCN to attend a meeting called by the minister in the coming week.

A statement by Bolaji Tunji, Special Adviser, Strategic Communications and Media Relations to the minister quoted Adelabu as saying that the management of other non-performing Discos would also be queried over non-performance as reports continue to filter in on the situation in their regions.

“These two Discos have been summoned due to the worsening power supply situation in their regions despite improved supply from TCN. So, we expect the power supply to have improved across the country, unlike what we are experiencing in some regions, presently.

“Findings revealed that some distribution companies were deliberately not taking up power supply from TCN while some power lines were also damaged by vandals in Abuja, Benin, Port Harcourt and Ibadan regions,” Adelabu stated.

The minister also directed TCN to immediately commence repair works on the damaged transmission towers and power lines to improve supply in the affected regions.

Adelabu had embarked on supervisory visits to some of the power-generating plants in the last few months.

He was in Kainji hydropower plant which would soon embark on an expansion plan to boost the existing 560MW operational capacity.

He also visited Benue and Taraba states to assess the infrastructure being constructed to evacuate an additional 30 megawatts from the Kashimbilla hydropower station to the national grid.