those saying that our light hasn't improved are lying — NeboonJanuary 18, 2015 inInterview1:46 am /Comments•’Opposition state governments have questions to answer on sabotage’•Speaks on the problem with Boko Haram, vandals, generator importers•’My home has no generating set’By OLAYINKA AJAYIContrary to what many Nigerians, especially those in opposition to the Federal Government, will like others to believe, the Minister of Power, Prof. Chinedu Ostadinma, says there is substantial improvement in electricity supply across the country. In this interview, Nebo speaks on what he calls the political dimension to the challenges facing the power sector. Excerpts:Amid the allegations on corruption, vandalism and insecurity rocking our polity, how do you ratepower supply nationwide under your watch?The power sector has fared very well under President Jonathan’s administration. He has done so much for the sector. Things that appeared to had been jinxed, he broke them. The whole matter of privatisation is adjudged globallyas a very successful exercise. Nigeria has the largest global privatisation utility in the whole world. We got it in one fell swoop, it needed a courageous, determined, articulate and visionary president to bring it to conclusion. In this regard, he performed very well.When you think about the moribund, power development machinery that he met when he came on board, he revived it. And he is bringing itinto fusion.For instance the NIPP project is fantastic based on the benefit for Nigeria when it comes on stream. When the project was conceived by the previous administration, nobody thought about where the gas was going to come from. It is President Jonathan that is now working round the clock to ensure that the gas delivery infrastructure is put in place to make sure that allthe turbines are fired and can deliver electricity tothe country. For the first time, the transmission network of electricity in the country is receiving a robust attention and funding from both national and international agencies to ensure Nigerians get the promise fulfilled of delivery of electricity.Do you think Nigerians have gotten the promise of stable power supply under GEJ’s administration?FILE PHOTO: *POWER MEETING: From left— Prof.Chinedu Nebo, Minister of Power; Engr. Beks Dagogo-Jack, Chairman, Presidential Task Forceon Power, and Amb. Godknows Igali, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Power, address newsmen after their meeting with President Goodluck Jonathan at Aso Villa, Abuja. PHOTO: Abayomi Adeshida.Many people are receiving much better power supply than they have ever gotten. To mention some cases, few; there was a time Umuahia was in darkness, the town is presently enjoying steady power supply. Awka used to be a nightmare for several months without power; today Kaduna is getting up to 22/23 hours of power supply on a daily basis. Many parts of Abuja are enjoying steady power supply. But when there is a great need, and you begin to meet the need, it is like trying to nourish a child that is suffering from mal-nourishment, it definitely takes time for such a child to be healthy. Nigeria has a huge demand for suppressed electricity. In order to meet such demand, you have to multiply the efforts of this administration by four times.Even when you add a thousand mega-watts, it just goes into trickles to people which is the imagery Nigerians don’t realise. When you begin to add it, people get a little at a time but if we decide to concentrate on one particular area, Nigerians will complain of favouritism. So whatever we have, we have to distribute. In the process of distributing, how do you make the whole country feel the impact at the same time ina very short time? But as I speak, many parts of Nigeria are receiving more power supply than they used to.You are aware that the reason we are not doing better now in the capacity we ought to, is basically due to vandalism.Any time we hit 4,500/4,600 maga watts, vandalsgo to tamper with our facilities. So I ask myself, isn’t this being orchestrated by God knows who? Could it be that some people do not want Nigeria to enjoy constant power supply? These are issues Nigerians should address. So, yes, Nigeria’s power sector is doing better than before.But, on a contrary, some people in the opposition are of the view that President Jonathan failed to deliver on his promise of 5,000 mega-watt which they claim resulted to a high rate of unemployment among teeming Nigerian youths. What do you make of this?It is absolutely ridiculous! It is untrue and a figment of their imagination. How come most of the intense vandalism we are encountering on electricity facilities are mostly from states where the All Progressive Congress, APC, is in charge?I am talking about Rivers State, Lagos State in the eastern and western axis.They know what they are doing. I am not saying they are, but they may be responsible. Because ifyou look at everything the government has done in respect of power, will you ever think in the pastthat a government will ever generate power for the rural communities. It is only this administration that sees the possibility of lightingrural communities 24 hours daily that are not connected to the national grid.Youngentrepreneurs claim they are yet to feel theimpact of this administration on power. What could be the reason behind this?It depends, sometimes perception could be louder than reality. But definitely figures do not lie. If you look at everything with regards to power delivery, every year, we have the record on daily basis the power delivered to Nigerians. Nigeria has never had it this good before. The problem is because we are getting to more rural areas, distributing what we have to larger numbers of communities, so places that have notgotten power before, are beginning to see power coming to them.There is no way we can make Nigerians on the streets realise that power has improved. But go tell the people in Kaduna, Enugu, Awka and someparts of Abuja that power has not improved, then you will be amazed by their response faulting your argument and even calling you a liar because they know they are enjoying steady power supply than they used to.What about Lagos State being the commercial hub of the nation?There was a time many parts of Lagos were getting two hours of power supply per day, but under Jonathan’s administration, they have gotten more. Apart from the most recent burstingof pipe lines, Lagos has gotten for weeks 1,100 mega-watts dedicated to it alone, which has never happened before.So it baffles me, when people who are beneficiaries of the drastic change in the sector are trying to deny obvious facts on GEJ’s performance in the power sector. And the figures are there to substantiate the rate at which electricity is distributed.With these figures, are you impressed with the rate at which power is being distributed under your watch?I am impressed because of lots of challenges facing the sector. But I am thankful that we have a president that is dogged and has not given up. That is the reason we are looking for alternatives.If you are in the shoes of Mr. President, I don’t know how you will feel when you have power plants, you make sure that infrastructure is beingput in place, and each time you get to a certain point, they vandalize the facilities and even when you have not gotten to that point, they keep vandalizing. To make sure there is no gas, they steal the oil.They sometimes go under the sea to burst the gas line pipes. One of the worst vandalism occurred recently when over two dozen places were vandalized at different pipelines in a stretch. Is that not sabotage! What are they getting from such wicked act? Since they cannot steal the gas, why are they bursting the pipe linesif is not to score political points!Are you of the view that its has political undertone?Then who is doing it. I believe, strongly, that vandalization of the gas pipe lines to power our facility has political undertone! Who is fooling who! Why would people go under the sea in horrible terrain to use highly efficiency dynamite to burst gas pipe lines knowing that you have to spend months to repair the pipe lines?

Like seriously, I noticed too but I don't want to conclude too soon.

Yes it has.