Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, has revealed that Nigeria’s power generation has increased to 6,003 megawatts, marking significant progress under President Bola Tinubu’s administration. He stated that while it took nearly 40 years to move from 2,000MW in 1984 to 4,000MW in 2022, the country achieved the latest increase within two years.
Adelabu made this known while receiving a delegation from the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), led by its President, Margaret Oguntala, during a courtesy visit to his office in Abuja. He attributed the recent progress to deliberate efforts by the current administration to prioritize the power sector as a key driver of economic growth.
According to a statement by the minister’s spokesperson, Bolaji Tunji, the meeting focused on strategic partnerships, mentorship opportunities, and the NSE’s role in providing technical advisory support to the ministry.
The minister expressed concerns over persistent power sector challenges despite Nigeria producing a large number of engineers. He urged the NSE to take a more active role in addressing infrastructural deficiencies, grid collapses, and overall inefficiencies in the power system.
“We have so many engineers in Nigeria, yet our power infrastructure remains unreliable. The NSE was established in 1958, yet we still experience grid collapses. What are our engineers doing? It shouldn’t be like this,” Adelabu stated.
He challenged the NSE to ensure its members contribute meaningfully to improving the country’s power infrastructure, emphasizing the need for collaboration with the ministry.
The minister also stressed the importance of continuous training for engineers, citing the need to revive rigorous training programs last seen during the era of the defunct National Electric Power Authority (NEPA).
“The power sector is unique, and training cannot be neglected. The last batch of well-trained engineers came from the old NEPA. We must return to that era of rigorous training to develop competent professionals,” he said.
He encouraged the NSE to partner with institutions like the National Power Training Institute to enhance skills development in the sector.
In response, NSE President Margaret Oguntala assured the minister that the society would take up the challenge. She reaffirmed NSE’s commitment to contributing technical expertise, fostering innovation, and enhancing capacity development to improve the country’s power infrastructure.
The meeting underscored the need for stronger collaboration between the government and professional bodies to address Nigeria’s power sector challenges.
