Electricity: ‘Peter Obi is ignorant of Nigeria’s stored megawatts capacity’ — Onanuga

Presidential spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, has faulted the recent pledge by the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, to increase Nigeria’s electricity generation and distribution by at least 10,000 megawatts within four years, saying the former Anambra State governor does not fully understand the country’s existing power infrastructure capacity.

Speaking during an interview on Arise Television on Tuesday, Onanuga said Nigeria already possesses an installed electricity generation capacity that exceeds the figure Obi promised to deliver if elected president in 2027.

According to him, the country’s major challenge is not the absence of generation capacity but structural bottlenecks, including inadequate gas supply, legacy debts owed to gas suppliers and an outdated national grid.

“What people don’t know, and which unfortunately Peter Obi did not know, when he came and said he’s going to generate 10,000 megawatts, we already have in Nigeria stored capacity of 13,500 megawatts,” Onanuga said.

The presidential aide argued that successive challenges in the power sector have prevented the country from fully utilizing its installed generation capacity.

“What are the problems? No gas. The players in the sector are owing the gas companies legacy debt over N4 trillion, which has become the problem of this administration, and it’s trying to clear it,” he stated.

Onanuga said President Bola Tinubu’s administration moved early to address longstanding constraints in the electricity sector through policy reforms and legislative action.

“To show that he meant business, the first thing he did when he came to office, he signed the Electricity Act, which enables states to generate power, to transmit power, to distribute power,” he said.

He noted that several states have already begun taking advantage of the new law, while others are expected to follow suit.

“And some of the states are taking advantage of that, more are going to do so. That will make the electricity sector open, more competitive,” he added.

The presidential spokesman further claimed that power generation under the current administration has improved compared to the level inherited in May 2023.

“Power generation has increased. We are not at the level that the president met it,” he said.

Onanuga also identified the national transmission infrastructure as another major obstacle to improved electricity supply.

“The grid is outdated,” he said, adding that the Federal Government has initiated reforms aimed at modernising critical assets within the sector.

According to him, the administration floated the idea of the Grid Asset Management Company Limited (GAMCO) to optimise the performance of some of the country’s hydropower facilities.

“You know I said we have 13,500 megawatts installed; some of them are not really functioning,” he explained.

His comments come days after Obi pledged to add at least 10,000 megawatts to Nigeria’s electricity generation and distribution capacity within four years if elected president in the 2027 general election, a promise that has reignited debate over the country’s decades-long power sector challenges.

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