President Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria has opened an emergency power plant in the country’s troubled northeast region. This is to boost electricity supply in the area.
The 10-megawatt plant is located in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State. It was built to address the chronic power shortages in the region.
President Buhari spoke at the commissioning ceremony on Thursday. He said that the new power plant would help to stimulate economic growth. Furthermore, it improve the living conditions of the people in the region.
“The commissioning of this power plant is a testament to our commitment to improving the lives of the people in the northeast and our determination to defeat the forces of darkness that have held this region in their grip for too long,” Buhari said.
The president also praised the efforts of the Nigerian Army, which has been battling the Boko Haram insurgency in the region, for creating a secure environment for the construction of the power plant.
The power plant was built by the Federal Ministry of Power in collaboration with the Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC), a government-owned company that specializes in power generation.
The NDPHC has also built similar emergency power plants in other parts of the country, including Kano, Lagos, and Abuja. This is done as part of efforts to address the chronic power shortages that have hampered economic growth and development in Nigeria.
INITIATIVE
Despite being Africa’s largest oil producer, Nigeria has struggled to provide reliable electricity to its citizens, with power outages and shortages a common occurrence across the country.
According to the World Bank, Nigeria has an installed electricity generation capacity of around 12,522 megawatts. However, only about half of this is available for use due to transmission and distribution challenges.
President Buhari has pledged to address the country’s power challenges. Furthermore, he has launched several initiatives aimed at increasing electricity generation and distribution. This include, the Rural Electrification Agency and the Energizing Education Program. Their aims is to provide off-grid power to universities and teaching hospitals across the country.
The commissioning of the new power plant in Maiduguri is a positive step towards achieving these goals. In addition to improving the lives of the people in the northeast region.
