Minister inaugurates task force on power

By Collins Nweze

The Minister of Power Alhaji Saleh Mamman on Thursday inaugurated the Special Task Force Committee on Electric Power Sector to address the country’s power challenges.

The task force was inaugurated by the Minister at Ministry headquarters in Abuja. Speaking during the event, Mamman said that the committee will serve as an advisory team on policies and innovative technologies in the power sector.

The minister noted that the Taskforce  is part of the Federal Government’s plan to accelerate the pace of ongoing reforms and improve power output as well as  availability in the short/long term in the sector.

“It is in line with this that I have designed the concept of setting up this committee so as to achieve short term service delivery gains while maintaining policy consistency of the Federal Government. Therefore, the Ministerial Taskforce on Power, within its tenure of two years is to help with developing, planning and driving forward, the reform plan for the Nigerian Power Sector,” the minister said.

Addressing journalist shortly after the inauguration, the newly elected Chairman of the committee, Professor, Abubakar Sani Sambo, said that the Nigeria power sector is moving in a right  direction in the electricity supply industry.
According to him, “The task force is going to take time to study the sector thoroughly and look at the specific aspects that have not changed over the years. But those aspects are the ones preventing electricity supply in regular manner that all Nigerians require and we would attend to things that have not been changed over the years,” he said.

Similarly, the Vice Chairman of the Taskforce Committee, Olabamiji Ogunleye, said the committee will ensure that electricity sector is stable for Nigerians. He said achieving stable electricity supply will promote rapid industrialization and sustainable economic development.

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Ogunleye explained that the taskforce comprises of a team of sector experts and technocrats, assembled by the Honourable Minister of Power, Engr. Saleh Mahmman, to help design a pathway for tackling the myriad of problems bedeviling the Nigerian power sector.

“It is upon the understanding that the problems of the sector are multi-layered, and transverse a broad spectrum of agencies and departments, and thus, has been perennially bugged down by the bureaucracy and entrenched inter-departmental lock-horns and silo-working.

The setting up of a none bureaucratic expert team has been essential for the professional and prompt service delivery in those sectors, and the lack of such an advisory and Taskforce team had been responsible for the sluggish and uncoordinated progress in the power sector,” he said.

Members of the  committee who will take on the responsibility of the task force on power are Sunusi Muktar Bichi, Dr. Sam Uche Okoro Esq, Goodluck Enimakpokpo, Chidi Adabanya, Musa Usman Yola, Engr Dr. Abubakar Atiku Tambuwal. Others are Barr. Shehu Inuwa, Engr. Tunji Ariyomo, Professor. S.S Adamu, Engr. Faruk Yusuf, Ivy Joyce Adi-Elekwa, Abba Aliyu, Isa Ado Maidoya, Mahmud Tukur.

And, Dr. Haruna Musa, Dr. Vincent Dogo, Prof. Abubakar Jika Jiddere, Dr. Nurain Hassan Ibrahim, Engr. E.O Ajayi, including, Mr. Haruna Ladan, DD APD Power as the Secretary.