Protect power facilities in your backyard, says Fashola

From James Ojo, Abuja

Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola (SAN) has called on communities where power generation and distribution facilities are located to take ownership of them through protection against vandalism.
Fashola, who made the charge at the presentation of a book on selected issues in the power sector under the Buhari administration, lamented that through vandalism,  power generation, which climbed above 5,000 megawatts in the early months of the present government, dropped to less than 4,000 megawatts. The minister said with the road map designed to make power available to the majority of Nigerians, it is capable of achieving success when facilities to generate and distribute power are protected.
“When we assemble the stakeholders in communities where these facilities are located, they will have the knowledge that the power they are enjoying comes from their backyard, and they will be eager to protect them. It will help people fight vandalism and protect power installations,” he said.
Fashola reaffirmed the commitment of the Buhari government to improve power supply nationwide as one of its cardinal objectives, noting that all identified bottlenecks are being tackled vigorously.
On the book written by Uche Aneke, General Manager, Public Affairs of Nigerian Electricity Management Service Agency, titled: Power Sector Under President Buhari, Fashola said “it will help to smooth the wrinkles about power supply in the country.”