- The minister of power, housing and works, Babatunde Raji Fashola, said it is not the federal government's fault if power is not stable
- The minister disclosed that all the assets the ministry used to control power have been privatised by past administration
- He also added that his role as a power minister is only limited to oversight and policy
The minister of power, housing and works, Babatunde Raji Fashola, was reported to have said that it is not the problem and faults of the federal government if the power failure debacle in the country still persists, Punch reports.
Fashola stated this when he was addressing a cross section of audience at the Nextier Power Dialogue on Wednesday, December 12, 2018, in Abuja.
Legit.ng gathers that the former governor of Lagos state also attributed the persistently unstable electricity to the privatisation of power sector by past administration.
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He said: "There are problems without a doubt and we must deal with them. But let me remind you, all of the assets that the Ministry of Power used to control for power have been sold by the last administration before I came. And so if you don’t have power, it is not the government’s problem. Let us be honest.
“The people who are operating the power sector, generation and distribution are now privately owned companies. I am here because I am concerned. If your telephone is not working, it is not the minister of communication that you go to. Let us be very clear.”
Fashola also used the platform to urged Nigerians to challenge business investors who have taken the control of the power sector, adding that his role as a power minister is regulated and only advisory.
He said: "So for those of you who want to weaponise electricity, face the businessmen who have taken it up. Let us be honest. If your bank over-charges you interest, is it the minister of finance you go to? So let’s be clear. This is now a private business by act of parliament 2005.
“My role is regulatory, oversight and policy, but I have a problem which is the fact that I can’t see a problem and turn my back, so I’m getting involved. So the people you should be talking to about transformers is not me, the ministry doesn’t supply transformers anymore.”
On Gencos and Discos operating under his ministry, Fashola said: "I think that Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) is the referee of the game. I am FIFA.
"And it is not right as you said that FIFA gets involved, because whether the referee makes a mistake or not the goal stands."
“So the FIFA man does not enter the field to say go and change the result, but it’s an interesting analogy that I’ve also contemplated in my head and that’s why you didn’t catch me by too much surprise.
"However, it is important to allow the referee to continue to decide the game because investors like to know who decides.”
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Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that Babatunde Fashola, on Tuesday, November 21, said in 2015, the government of President Muhammadu Buhari never promised to transform Nigeria in four years if given the mandate.
Fashola, who inaugurated the President Muhammmadu Buhari–Osinbajo 2019 campaign group comprising of about 5,000 political foot soldiers in Lagos state, argued that the administration did not promise to bring about change in different sectors of the country in four years.
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Fashola EXCLUSIVE Interview: How Nigeria Can Have Uninterrupted Power Supply | Legit TV
Source: Legit.ng