I Can’t Promise Nigerians 24-Hour Electricity In Four Years

I Can’t Promise Nigerians 24-Hour Electricity In Four Years – Peter Obi
Obi pledged to improve electricity transmission, distribution and sector transparency.
He urged government to clear debts owed to electricity generation companies.

The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) for the 2027 election, Peter Obi, has ruled out the possibility of delivering uninterrupted electricity to Nigerians within four years if elected president.

Speaking during an interview on Channels Television on Sunday, Obi said it would be unrealistic to promise Nigerians stable 24 hour electricity within a single four year term.

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EKO HOT BLOG reports that the former Anambra State governor, however, assured that improving electricity supply would be a key priority of his administration, stressing that significant progress could be achieved even if uninterrupted power could not be guaranteed.

Obi said: “I will not tell them I’m going to give them reliable, stable, 24-hour electricity within four years.

“It is impossible because if you want to build a power plant, it will take you about four years to build a power plant.

“If you want to build and improve our transmission line, it will take you a number of years.”

He maintained that Nigeria has the potential to consistently generate, transmit and distribute at least 10,000 megawatts of electricity, arguing that the country’s biggest challenge lies in transmitting and distributing available power rather than generation.

Obi said: “We will be able to generate more than 10,000 megawatts. We are doing that today, we are generating more than 10,000 but we are not able to transmit that.

“I said we will be able to generate more than 10,000, transmit and distribute that.”

The NDC presidential candidate said his administration would replicate successful decentralised electricity models already operating in parts of the country to improve power supply and support industrial growth.

He cited Geometric Power in Aba as an example of a model that could be expanded to other industrial centres, including Kano.

“We will do it through embedded power. Look at what Geometric Power is doing in Aba, we need to replicate that in locations like Kano to drive the industries in Bompai and Sharada,” he said.

I Can’t Promise Nigerians 24-Hour Electricity In Four Years – Peter Obi

Obi also pledged to promote transparency in the electricity sector and called for the settlement of outstanding debts owed by the Federal Government to electricity generation companies.

According to him, the debts have discouraged investment in the sector and must be cleared to restore confidence.

“Today, the government owes generating companies trillions of naira. We must pay them,” he said.