Tinubu to Siemens: We’re committed to improving electricity supply

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on Monday, in Abuja, assured the technical contractor handling the Presidential Power Initiative (PPI), Siemens Energy, of the government’s full commitment to improving the country’s electricity supply and enhancing livelihoods. At a meeting at the State House with a delegation from Siemens Energy, led by Dietmar Siersdorfer, Managing Director of Middle […]

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on Monday, in Abuja, assured the technical contractor handling the Presidential Power Initiative (PPI), Siemens Energy, of the government’s full commitment to improving the country’s electricity supply and enhancing livelihoods.

At a meeting at the State House with a delegation from Siemens Energy, led by Dietmar Siersdorfer, Managing Director of Middle East and Africa, President Tinubu noted that the power sector remains central to stimulating the economy, particularly in the industrial, educational, and healthcare sectors.

The Vice President, Sen. Kashim Shettima; the coordinating minister of the Economy, Wale Edun; the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu; and the Special Adviser on Energy, Olu Verheijen, attended the meeting.

The President stated that the completion of the phased power project will give Nigeria a place of pride on the continent by harnessing the latent potential in human and material resources across various sectors.

“There is no industrial growth or economic development without power. I believe that power is the most significant discovery of humanity in the last 1,000 years.

The President also directed the expansion of some major transformer substations from two to three phases to boost the country’s power supply.

He assured the delegation that the government will continue to provide the needed resources for the power project.

The Minister of Power, Adelabu, stated that the power sector had achieved many critical milestones, including the decentralisation and liberalisation of the sector and noted that the President signed the Electricity Act 2023, and a National Integrated Electricity Policy was developed after 24 years, attracting more than $2 billion of fresh investments.

The minister noted that the policy had resulted in the activation of 15 state electricity markets.

“Since the signing of the Accelerated Agreement at COP28 in Dubai in December 2023, an event you personally attended alongside the German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, the PPI has recorded notable milestones across its implementation phases.

“Siemens Energy has successfully delivered and commissioned 10 units of 132/33kV mobile substations, three units of 75/100MVA transformers, and seven units of 60/66MVA transformers across key load centres nationwide, which have added 984mv of transmission capacity to the grid,’’ the minister stated.

The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, stated that the completion of the PPI will enhance Nigeria’s ease of doing business, create more jobs for the youth, and reduce poverty.

The leader of the Siemens delegation, Siersdorfer, stated that two out of the five substations under construction are expected to be completed by December 2026, while the German Ambassador’s representative, Johannes Lehne, assured President Tinubu of further support and collaboration with the German government.