Stop buying transformers, cables & poles for electricity companies— Adebayo Adelabu, minister of power

The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu has told Nigerians to stop buying electricity infrastructures including, transformers, and poles, saying it is the responsibility of the Distribution companies (Discos) to provide infrastructure for service delivery.
This is, as he also advised Nigerians to report any strange movement around power infrastructure across the country to security agencies to reduce the spate of attacks and vandalisation of the facilities.

The minister appealed while speaking during a courtesy call on Oyo state governor Seyi Makinde in his Agodi Secretariat, Ibadan on Monday, January 15.

Adelabu was in the state on a working visit to inspect power infrastructure and commission a substation.

The minister had earlier addressed workers at the Transmission Company of Nigeria Sub Station, Ayede Ibadan as well as management staff at the headquarters of the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company, Ring Road, Ibadan.

Speaking, the Minister said it is the responsibility of the Discos to provide the infrastructures that are required to deliver their service such as cables, poles, transformers and the like, since it would be paid for by the consumers.

The minister warned that President Bola Tinubu frowns at the situation where communities would be forced to purchase transformers, poles and cables and electricity distribution companies take ownership of the same to provide services that customers will still pay.

He warned that the current administration will not tolerate a situation where communities will be forced to purchase such items by themselves while also asking Nigerians to desist from paying for darkness, adding that a constant and stable power supply is one of the main focuses of the present administration.

He said: “It is the responsibility of the distribution companies to provide transformers, cables, and poles to communities so that power supply can improve.

“A situation where communities buy transformers, cables, and poles must stop. As a minister, I don’t want to hear news of communities being asked to purchase electric transformers, cables, and poles. If the consumers are paying for the electricity, then it is the responsibility of the distribution companies to provide these items.

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“There must be improvement in power supply. That is what the government planned to do. People should not pay for darkness. When people have a 24-hour power supply, they can pay double for electricity because you have saved them the money to power generators.

“We don’t want to hear the news of communities buying transformers, cables and poles for themselves again. The federal government frowns at it. You see what we have done in Kaduna. Service to our people is paramount. It is the responsibility that Mr. President has placed on us.”

Appealing for more security consciousness on power infrastructures, the Minister said “Some people are working to destroy our national assets, it is our responsibility to protect them collectively.

“When you notice any strange movement around our national assets, let us escalate it. Any strange movement should be reported to the security agencies. We can do it individually. We have the support of Mr. President, the National Security Adviser and all security agencies.

“We have seen the destruction of transmission wires in some parts of the country. These are the assets that cost billions of naira to install. It is a fight that must be jointly fought.”

He told Governor Makinde that as the Oyo state’s representative in the Federal cabinet, the visit has nothing to do with politics but governance, adding that he came to seek ways and means of collaboration with the state government.

During the visit, the Minister also inspected the 132KV Oluewu transmission sub-station in Oyo and commissioned a 100Kwh solar mini-grid in Adafila, Ogbomoso under rural electrification projects.

He also paid a courtesy call on the Soun of Ogbomoso, Oba Gandhi Afolabi Olaoye in his Ogbomoso Palace.