By Ikugbadi Oluwasegun
President Bola 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 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. The President also directed the expansion of some major transformer substations from two to three phases to boost the country’s power supply. The President assured the delegation that the government will continue to provide the needed resources for the power project.
The Power Minister, Adelabu, stated that the power sector had achieved many critical milestones, including the decentralization and liberalization of the sector. He noted that the President signed the Electricity Act 2023, and a National Integrated Electricity Policy was developed after 24 years, attracting more than $22billion of fresh investments.
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.
He noted that a training centre was already under construction to ensure the training of local talents in electrical engineering, create more jobs, capture local content, and transfer technology. The German Ambassador’s representative, Johannes Lehne, assured President Tinubu of further support and collaboration with the German government.
