Electricity is slowly being resolved – Fashola

The Minister of power, works and housing, Babatunde Fashola, on Thursday, said the electricity problem in Nigeria “is slowly being solved, one by one” and cannot be solved by magic.

Fashola disclosed this during the inauguration of the 2x100MVA, 132/33kV power transformers at the Ejigbo Transmission Substation in Lagos and the handover of the expanded Ejigbo Transmission Substation to the Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company.

The minister noted that the “substation was built in 1970; the capacity was 60MVA then; except for the addition of another 60MVA, this community has grown exponentially; so they have exceeded the installed capacity here.”

He said President Muhammadu Buhari is aware of this expansion activities  and his ministry “inherited 800 containers for power equipment left in the port for 10 years. President Buhari gave us approval, and we have recovered 690.”

Fashola added that the capacity has been increased from 120MVA to 300MVA and there are 90 transmission projects ongoing across the country.

The Managing Director, Transmission Company of Nigeria, Usman Mohammed, said the installation of the two units of 100MVA transformers at the Ejigbo Transmission Substation was funded by the World Bank through the firm’s project management unit.

Mohammed said: “With the increase in the Ejigbo substation’s capacity, the TCN has substantially increased bulk electricity available in the substation for the Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company to take to its customers. Consequently, electricity consumers in Ejigbo, Egbe, Oke-Afa, Shasha, Ikotun, Ijegun, and Idimu town will now have improved power supply from Ikeja Electric.”

He opined that “the Lagos airport will now have more load allocated to it.