Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, today addressed a press conference in Abuja where he reeled out his plans for the revitalization of Power, Works and Housing projects in Nigeria. He said the focus on roads is to complete those already at some level of completion.
According to him, 200 road contracts were stopped and revitalizing them would bring 20,000 jobs. Regarding power, Fashola said efforts are on to improve on National output. He said the Ministry of Petroleum is constructing new pipes to transport gas to power generation company. This construction could be concluded in 15 months and would potentially add 2,000 megawatts to the current power situation. Fashola added that government would support local manufacturing of meters as an opportunity for entrepreneurship.
“We have more power generation than is been transmitted. The Transmission Company of Nigeria says it has 142 transmission projects on-going; 45 of them at 50% completion, 22 of them can be completed within a year. This will improve power. We need to reconfigure our roots for us to be able to install solar panels.”he said On government plans to construct 40 blocks of 12 flats per block, in each state of the federation, Fashola said “this will give 480 flats per states. States will however, have to provide 5 to 10 hectares of land for the project. Government priority is on refinancing the outstanding 200 road contracts before we bring in new contracts".
On climate he said: “Nigeria made pledges at the climate change conference COP 21 and we pledge to fulfil these agreements. However, it will be in accordance with national priorities. Government is standing down slowly but surely to allow the economics of supply and demand to take place.”