By Constance Athekame
The Minister of Power, Mr Adebayo Adelabu has inaugurated the Ministerial Power Sector Working Group to serve as a platform for supervisory, monitoring and oversight control of the power sector.
Adelabu, while speaking at the inauguration in Abuja, said that the working group would serve as a platform for the supervision, monitoring and oversight control of the sector.
He also said that the group would also clarify issues with detailed explanation of what is happening in the sector, since the activities are inter-related.
The minister said that though there had been existence of the meetings in the past, it was necessary to re-introduce and improve on it by inaugurating the group.
He said that the major reason for re-introducing the meeting of the working group is to create a platform for information sharing, dissemination and sector wide communication medium, which is key to greater productivity.
`’The meeting of the working group would serve more like a backup for sector co-ordination and centralised project management.
“The benefits of the meeting of the working groups is the synergy that we tend to gain from coming together for the first year and capacity optimisation,” he said.
Adelabu said that the meeting would further serve as a training platform and a refresher opportunity for optimum representation of the power sector.
He urged the working group to work hard to achieve the set target.
Also, at the meeting, Directors and Agencies under the supervision of the Ministry of Power also signed a performance contract to ensure proper tracking and supervision of projects.
The performance contract was signed on behalf of the agencies by the Chief Executive Officers ( CEOs) and the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Power on behalf of the Directors.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that agencies which signed the contract included the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), Rural Electrification Agency (REA), National Power Training Institute (NAPTIN), Nigerian Electricity Management and Safety Agency (NEMSA).
Others are the Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) the Nigeria Bulk Electricity Trading (NBET) and the Nigeria Electricity Liability Management Ltd (NELMCO).
“What we are doing by the signing of the performance contract which is like a bond that will compel each and every one of us to deliver on our target.
“In November 2023, as Minister of Power, I signed a performance contract with the President Bola Tinubu which summarised what he expects from us.
“We have cascaded that contract down to the departments and agencies in the power sector that will contribute to the overall achievement of what we signed with Mr. President.
“As we know that it is a top -down approach, which is also a bottom-up approach,” he said.
The minister, however, expressed confidence and assurance that the overall target would be achieved by the working group. (NAN)