Federal Government don approve plan to build new system wey go help carry light from eastern part of Nigeria reach western part, as part of efforts to stop the repeated light failure wey dey happen for the country.
Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, reveal this during one energy conference wey HBSAN organise for Lagos. E explain say government don begin plan how dem go solve the long-time problems wey dey affect the system wey dey carry light go different parts of Nigeria.
Tegbe talk say government go soon begin the process to choose companies wey go handle the work. According to am, Nigerians go begin see the benefits of the new system within the next two to three years.
Government don also begin inspect the things wey dem dey use carry light go different parts of the country, so dem fit find out wetin dey cause the problems and know the places wey need quick repair.
The minister explain say government don divide Nigeria into three areas based on how people dey use light. E say some places need more attention because na dem dey use the largest share of the electricity wey the country dey produce.
According to Tegbe, if government fit solve the light problems for Lagos and the roads wey connect Abuja with other places, e go don solve more than half of Nigeria electricity problems. But e add say government no fit achieve this through better management alone; dem still need to build and improve the system wey dey carry light from one place go another.
Tegbe talk say President don approve the plan to build new electricity networks for the eastern and western parts of the country. E explain say government dey go through the process to choose the companies wey go handle the work, and Nigerians go begin see the results within two to three years.
The minister say the inspection of electricity equipment na to find the exact faults and know the ones wey need urgent repair or replacement.
E explain say government no wan waste money to repair equipment wey no be the real cause of the problem. For example, if the fault dey with the wires or the devices wey dey control how light dey flow, e no make sense to spend money to repair transformer or other equipment wey no get fault.
We don start to check the things wey dey carry light across the country to know where the problems dey and wetin exactly dey cause dem. I no wan repair transformer when na wires and other control equipment get problem. I no wan repair the things wey dey protect electricity lines when na the tall towers wey hold the wires get fault. We go finish this inspection within the next few weeks. After that, we go focus on the places wey need attention pass,” e talk.
Tegbe blame some of the problems wey dey affect the movement of light across the country on the old age of the equipment, as some of dem don dey use for many decades.
E explain say some of the tall towers wey hold electricity wires and the wires themselves na old equipment wey government inherit from the time wey Electricity Company of Nigeria (ECN) dey operate, before National Electric Power Authority (NEPA) take over.
The minister talk say the present government inherit electricity problems wey don dey for about 50 years.
E admit say before e become Minister of Power, e use to think say everybody wey dey work for the electricity sector no really understand wetin dem dey do. But after e visit some electricity facilities, e discover say the matter no be that simple because some of the equipment don old well-well.
According to am, some of the electricity towers don collapse, and some of the wires wey dem dey hold don also fall.
Tegbe say when e visit some of the places, e see electricity towers and wires wey still carry the old ECN name.
E explain say many people today no go know ECN because the company operate before NEPA come take over. However, some of the equipment wey dem build about 50 years ago still dey use today.
E maintain say the old age of this equipment na one of the major problems wey government need to solve to make light supply better and reduce the repeated times wey electricity dey fail for Nigeria.
