The Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima, has said there is no way Nigeria can dream of meaningful national economic development without addressing the power sector crisis and ensuring Nigerians have access to electricity and other affordable energy. He urged leaders in the country to rise above differences to confront the power sector crisis and become part of the reincarnation of Nigeria as an industrialized nation.
The Vice President stated this when he inaugurated the National Economic Council (NEC) Ad Hoc Committee on National Electrification and NEC Ad Hoc Committee on Polio Eradication at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Speaking while inaugurating the ad hoc committee on National Electrification, Senator Shettima made reference to countries with similar challenges of energy insufficiency, such as Indonesia, India, South Africa, and Uganda, pointing out that they are already in the league of those at the forefront of post-industrial revolution.
Regretting that an estimated 40-70 percent of Nigerians have no formal access to electricity, VP Shettima said he is comforted by the knowledge that the caliber and experiences of state Governors and other members of the committee "will definitely change the narrative in a positive trajectory. He acknowledged the basic challenges in the nation's power sector, especially the national grid which has been witnessing system collapse.
The VP however expressed hope that there will soon be significant improvement following the recent reforms in the energy sector which have opened the sector, "not only to the participation of, otherwise, excluded players, but also to attract investments, both foreign and local. While inaugurating the NEC ad hoc committee on Polio Eradication, Senator Shettima urged members of the committee and stakeholders to reinvigorate efforts to confront the reemergence of the disease head-on.
The Vice President discouraged short-term measures in tackling polio, urging the committee members to come up with long-term measures, including the local production of polio vaccines. In his remarks, Chairman of the NEC ad hoc committee on National Electrification and Cross River State Governor, Prince Bassey Edet Otu, noted that the Vice President has impaneled the committee with four terms of reference to change the ugly history of incessant national grid collapse in the country, noting that their next task is to get down to work, and do so assiduously until they produce credible, achievable and sustainable results. On his part, Chairman of the Polio Eradication ad hoc committee and Gombe State Governor, Alhaji Inuwa Yahaya, thanked the Vice President for giving members the opportunity to serve in the committee, assuring that they will do all their best to end the reemergence of polio in the country.
Members of the NEC ad hoc committee on National Electrification include Governors of Katsina, Gombe, Osun, Imo and Plateau States; Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy; Minister of Budget and Economic Planning; Minister of Power among others. The officers were encouraged to build trust, foster open communication, and demonstrate empathy with other security agencies, so as to fulfill its core mandates and provide effective security to the nation.
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