Power supply: No more excuses, Adelabu tells federal agencies

A day after the Federal Executive Council approved a new roadmap for the power sector, the Minister of Power Adebayo Adelabu has warned heads of Federal Government agencies in the power sector that excuses for poor performance were no longer acceptable.

With the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry, NESI, struggling to meet public expectations and the government calling for an increase in electricity tariff, the Ministry unveiled an urgent 10-year rescue plan to address the manpower shortage in the electricity sector.

With the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry, NESI, struggling to meet public expectations and the government calling for an increase in electricity tariff, the Ministry unveiled an urgent 10-year rescue plan to address the manpower shortage in the electricity sector.It therefore mandated the training of not less than 1,200 electrical engineers within the next decade and prioritising local contractors under a strict “Nigeria First” procurement policy.

A statement by the Ministry said Chief Adelabu spoke at the management retreat of the Ministry of Power, themed ‘Development of Ministerial Performance Management System (MPMS) for 2025’, in Abuja.

Adelabu warned staff that President Bola Tinubu’s administration would not tolerate excuses in delivering stable power to households and businesses, calling the sector’s revival “non-negotiable” for economic survival.

He said an executive order that will compel ministries and agencies to award contracts to local firms and invest in home-grown expertise will soon be rolled out by the President.

“We cannot keep outsourcing our future,” Adelabu declared, citing a critical shortage of skilled professionals. “In 10 years, we must replace the lost generation of engineers.”

“Mr. President yesterday touched on the importance of the local content and an Executive Order is being drafted and will soon be released. It emphasises the need to look inward in everything we do, particularly in contract awards. We must key into this in our local capacity building, in our resources and personnel. We must be intentional in our local capacity development. There is a dearth of good hands in the sector. Steps must be taken to ensure that this trend is reversed. Within the next 10 years, we must have at least 1,200 electrical engineers trained in the sector to replace the lost professionals. Let us be honest with ourselves during this retreat so that there will be positive results. Let us be practical and not dwell on theories,” he charged them.

Adelabu acknowledged recent gains in grid stability since January 2025 but demanded faster progress, revealing that all ministry performance will now face quarterly scrutiny by the presidential monitoring unit.When you’re performing, don’t listen to negativity, show Nigerians the evidence,” he urged staff, while admitting the public remains sceptical after years of unfulfilled promises.In line with the renewed hope agenda of His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, we’ve been given a clear mandate to deliver results which is being monitored, evaluated, and reported quarterly by the Central Delivery Coordination Unit to Mr. President. As a Ministry, we must not only align with that vision, but we must also lead the way as the success of our sector is vital for the success of every segment of the economy,” he said.

“I am proud of the achievements that we have recorded in the past one and half years. Achievements in generation, in transmission and in distribution. Since January this year to date, there has been stability, particularly in the grid. This is as a result of teamwork and consistency in our efforts to deliver on our mandate. When you are performing, just go on with your work and don’t listen to negative comments”, he said, as he admonished them to always showcase their achievements to the general public to see,” he added.

Speaking earlier, Permanent Secretary Mahmuda Mamman echoed the urgency, linking staff promotions to measurable outcomes and warning that “citizens will judge us by their meter readings, not our PowerPoints.”

He admonished the staff to use the retreat to improve their strategy as he charged them on the need for accountability and capacity building. He said the retreat was meant for performance ethos that placed citizens at the centre of the ministry’s goals.

Source :Vanguard News