The Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, on Monday, disclosed that some universities, teaching hospitals and small businesses that cannot cope with the high cost of electricity will enjoy the renewable energy initiative being driven by the Rural Electrification Agency (REA).
The minister spoke when he received the National Youth Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr Dayo Israel, who visited him in his office in Abuja to brief him on the proposed Youth Summit of the party that will be held from September 3-5 in Abuja.
The minister took time to brief the Youth Leader, who was accompanied by a few others, about the policies and programmes of the government and educated them about what President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was doing to get the country out of its present predicament.
He also outlined the measures that he has taken to transform the power ministry in the one year that he resumed.
Adelabu said Tinubu had provided the needed support to make sure the power sector gets back the confidence of Nigerians, once again.
“President Tinubu wants to use the power sector to drive the reforms in other sectors of the economy. If you recall in his speech to Nigerians on January 1, he spoke extensively about that sector.
“Power is one of the sensitive campaign promises he made to Nigerians and he is determined to fulfil that promise. The sector was almost jinxed before we came in but thank God that confidence is coming back now to the sector from the general public.
“Within one year that we came into office, we have been able to increase power generation from 4, 000 megawatts to 5,155 and have a target to move it to 6,000 megawatts by December this year. We are also working on fixing the infrastructure across the power sector value chain”, the minister said.
Adelabu, however, charged the APC youths to rise in defence of the government at all times as the party owns the government of the day.
Speaking earlier, the National Youth Leader had commended the minister for the noticeable improvement in the supply of electricity to businesses and households in the country.
He also invited the Minister to speak at the ministerial town hall meeting at the Progressives Young Leaders Summit held from September 3-5, 22024.
The youth leader said that the summit was to allow Nigerian youths to contribute their voices to shaping the country in line with the renewed hope agenda of the administration.