The vice presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, said an APC-led Federal Government would provide steady power supply by installing Independent Power Projects in strategic parts of the country.
The Senior Advocate of Nigeria added that his party would ensure that the privatisation of the power sector was given a larger scope if the APC was voted into power.
Osinbajo, who is the running mate of Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), said this at a Ketu town hall meeting organised by Friends of Osinbajo in Lagos on Sunday after he delivered a sermon as a guest minister at the Abundant Life Model Assembly Parish, Ketu, Lagos of the Redeemer Christian Church of God.
He said already IPPs were being used to provide steady electricity in courts and hospitals across Lagos State and this could be expanded.
He said, “What we must understand is that the Federal Government has privatised power distribution and generation, not transmission and we feel transmission should be privatised as well. We don’t have power today because generating plants can’t get gas supply and this is also largely because of the bad pipes.
“If we wait until we can set up proper gas infrastructure, it can take 10 to 15 years before we can get steady power supply.
“So, we have decided to decentralise power. For example, in Lagos we have IPPs in Marina which generates 10 megawatts and it powers hospitals and courts. We also have in Ikeja. They do not have problems of gas supply. The IPPs are directly connected to the place we want it to power.
“If we can mobilise our trade groups in certain areas, we can provide 24-hour power for them. Also, we can then provide for local governments. In Lagos for instance, the state government already knows the power needs of each local government so we can provide IPPs as well.”
Osinbajo added that the price of gas must also be deregulated so that more private companies could invest in the sector and increase power supply.
The APC candidate also berated the Peoples Democratic Party-led Federal Government for failing to address the issue of insecurity.
While making reference to a CNN report in which soldiers claimed that they paid for their uniforms and boots with their money, Osinbajo said it was evidence that President Goodluck Jonathan was only paying lip service to the fight against insurgency.
He promised that Buhari, as an ex-serviceman, would not take the issue of insecurity with levity if voted into power.
He said, “A few days ago, I watched Nigerian soldiers on CNN saying they had to buy uniforms and boots with their own money and these are people we are sending to lay down their lives for us. This is the most irresponsible thing.
“So far, we have spent N4tn on defence and yet our soldiers don’t have enough equipment. Buhari will lead as commander-in-chief from the front. Jonathan says Buhari did not buy rifles when he was in power and yet we’re presented facts that show that between 1983 and 1999, no government spent on the military more than Buhari.”
The Deputy Director General of the Buhari/Osinbajo Campaign Organisation, Senator Olorunnimbe Mamora, urged the people of the state to ensure that they voted massively for the APC, adding that Nigeria needed change more than ever.
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