… HOLD BUSINESS ROUNDTABLE IN AGBARA
The Vice President of Nigeria, Sen. Kashim Shettima has assured investors in the country of the commitment of the Federal Government to ensure adequate power supply across the country, particularly in industrial areas.
The Vice President who was accompanied by the Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun and Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu who was represented by the Deputy, Dr. Kadri Obafemi Hamzat gave the assurance today at the Agbara Business Roundtable held at the OPIC Industrial Estate, Agbara, Ogun State adding that the country holds tremendous opportunities for not only investors but also all citizens.
The event was to launch an initiative to ensure dedicated power supply to industrial clusters across the country, starting with the Agbara industrial estate.
He said that it is embarrassing that the Agbara cluster relies on other sources of power aside from the national grid, adding that the Federal Government through the Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC) is committed to ensuring that the clusters like Agbara benefit from a cheaper means of generating power in their various factories.
The Vice President stated further that President Bola Tinubu is committed to making power available to the entire country, noting that “it is all about advocacy, it is about people believing in you and I have the confidence of my boss, such that I can talk authoritatively. He is very passionate about the Nigerian project. He is very committed to repositioning this nation” he said.
In his remarks at the event, the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu, represented by the Deputy Governor, Dr. Kadri Obafemi Hamzat regretted that out of about 13,000 Megawatts available, the country could only transmit 4,000 Megawatts.
Sanwo-Olu noted that the issue of power in the country is complex, owing to the attitude and behaviour among all stakeholders in the country. He stressed that the country has the expertise in all fields that can leapfrog the nation’s development, but we should eliminate bad behaviours which are inimical to development.
Speaking further, the Governor urged Nigerians to desist from demeaning the Country’s institutions because all those bad commentaries are giving wrong perceptions about the country and will continue to scare away prospective investors.
“The biggest challenge in our country now is public commentaries. We have a lot of people that go out there to just say things, demeaning our institutions and that is the biggest challenge”, he said.
Also, in his address, Ogun State Governor, Prince. Dapo Abiodun noted that electricity is fundamental to the sustenance of the country’s socio-economic activities and variability, adding that proper provision of power is key to ensuring the sustainability of competitive industrialization.
He said, “One thing that is very fundamental to the sustenance of our socio-economic activities or variability is the provision of electricity, without which all the infrastructures we have to provide will all be in vain”.
Speaking further, he said his administration is committed to creating an enabling environment for Public Private Partnership which is the key to economic growth of the state and the individual prosperity of its people.
While highlighting some of his government achievements in power, the Governor stressed that the state has five other clusters aside from the Agbara Cluster, namely: The Remo Cluster, the Ijebu Ode Cluster, the state is creating a new Cluster called the Magoro Cluster, among other clusters, because it is through these clusters that the state can jump-start growth and development.
Furthermore, “Creating an enabling environment is beyond providing needed infrastructures. These clusters seem to provide land, provide the need for infrastructures and these are track industrial activities and without stable, reliable and clean powers all these initiatives will be in vain,” he said.
The Minister of Power, Mr. Bayo Adelabu disclosed that the event marked a pivotal effort in the collective endeavour of the Industrial landscape of the country.
He added that the project stands as the first of many projects in the government light-up initiatives to deliver reliable electricity to industrial and heavy user clusters across the country.
