Zungeru Hydropower, Mass Metering, Others Top Buhari’s Power Sector Achievements

President Muhammadu Buhari has cited the Zungeru Hydropower Project, the Siemens power project, and the mass metering program as examples of his accomplishments in the Nigerian power sector.

According to a new factsheet from the State House focusing on Buhari’s accomplishments since taking office in 2015, the president has accomplished many goals in the power sector.

The Zungeru Hydropower Project, Kashimbila Hydropower Project, Afam III Fast Power, Kudenda Kaduna Power Plant, Okpai Phase 2 Plant, and Dangote Refinery Power Plant are among the other accomplishments listed. All of this could add 4000 megawatts to the country’s power capacity.

It is worth noting, however, that some of the projects listed have yet to be completed and may not be completed entirely by the time Buhari leaves office on May 29, 2023.

Other highlighted projects include the Rural Electrification Fund (REF), which was created by the Electricity Power Sector Reform Act of 2005, operationalized by the Buhari Administration in 2016.

Since 2016, the REF under REA has executed more than N4 billion in projects, with more than N5 billion in off-grid projects. Under the REA, there were programs such as:

Energizing Education Program which involves taking clean and reliable energy (solar and gas) to Federal Universities and Teaching Hospitals across the country. The Federal Universities with completed projects include: BUK (Kano), FUNAI (Ebonyi), ATBU (Bauchi), and FUPRE (Delta), meanwhile, others are ongoing.

The Energizing Economies Program involves taking clean and reliable energy (solar and gas) to markets across the country. Completed projects include Sabon-Gari Market in Kano, Ariaria Market in Aba, and Sura Shopping Complex in Lagos.

The Energizing Agriculture program was launched in May 2022, to catalyze economic development and improve rural livelihoods in Nigeria through exploring the nexus between mini-grids and agricultural productivity.

Meanwhile, the National Mass Metering program is a nationwide rollout of electricity meters to all on-grid consumers. It was launched in August 2020.

Also in tthe factsheet, President Buhari listed the completion of the Maiduguri Emergency Power Project, constructed by the Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd) to supply 50 megawatts of electricity to Maiduguri and its environs.

In March 2023, there was a ground-breaking for the first solar cell production factory in West Africa, developed by the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) in Gora, Nasarawa State.

According to the factsheet, the Solar Power Naija project was launched under the Buhari administration in April 2021 to deliver 5 million off-grid solar connections, impacting more than 20 million Nigerians, and financed through Central Bank of Nigeria loans, as well as through partnerships with NDPHC, NNPC and the NSIA.

The program is expected to generate an additional N7 billion increase in tax revenues per annum and $10 million in annual import substitution.

In aaddition, the President claims that his administration budgeted over N125.2 billion between 2015 to 2021 for the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), and Development Finance Funding through the World Bank, African Development Bank, the French Development Agency (AFD), and others up to $1.7 billion.

Meanwhile, the Central Bank of Nigeria is providing $250 million for the rehabilitation of critical interfaces between Transmission and Distribution to increase and stabilize power delivery.

The factsheet stated that the Buhari administration has concluded plans for some of the distribution and transmission components of the Siemens power deal to arrive in the country by 2023.

According to the factsheet, there are 135 ongoing projects for transmission lines, substations, and other associated grid infrastructure and TCN has completed 30 key substation projects and 12 important transmission lines.

“Through a special CBN intervention for Transmission Distribution interfaces, contracts have been awarded for more than 30 Substation Rehabilitations and 1,570MVA transformer capacity upgrades, with 34 critical transformers to be installed or replaced,” the factsheet stated.

According to the factsheet, the Buhari administration has made it possible for the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) to roll out various policies guiding the power sector. Some of these policies include the following:

Tariff-Capping Regulation for unmetered customers Eligible Customer Regulations Service-based Tariff Regime CBN oversight of Disco Bank accounts (which has helped improve payment discipline by Discos).