Uche Cecil Izuora
The Federal Government has listed key industrial clusters as it commences comprehensive technical audits of power infrastructure serving major industrial clusters.
In the priority areas identified are the Lagos industrial axis, Abuja-Kaduna corridor and Enugu-Onitsha axis identified as priorities.
According to Power Minister, Joseph Tegbe, the Lagos industrial corridor alone accounts for approximately 40 per cent of national electricity demand, making the resolution of its infrastructure challenges critical to industrial growth and job creation.
“Our target is that within six months we will fix the issues in the Lagos/Sagamu corridor regarding infrastructure and then move on to Abuja and then the Enugu-Onitsha axis,” he said at the groundbreaking of a 50-megawatt electrification project designed to provide dedicated and reliable electricity to industries and commercial businesses in the Idu industrial area of Abuja at the weekend.
Overall consideration of the exercise is to tackle power supply constraints across Nigeria’s major industrial corridors with a target to create or protect about 180,000 jobs within the next six months
The Idu project is a partnership involving Welbeck Electricity Distribution Limited, Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) and Shell Gas Limited, and is expected to provide industries within the industrial zone with a more reliable electricity supply.
Under the phased implementation plan, the first 10MW is expected to be delivered by December 2026, while the remaining 40MW will be rolled out during 2027.
The project, Tegbe said, would provide a major boost to industrialisation and economic activity along the Abuja-Kaduna axis, while stressing the need for effective coordination between generation, transmission and distribution companies to ensure that the electricity reaches industrial users.
“We need to ensure the transmission happens. And then even distribution. I am sure Abuja Disco is represented here, because if you want to effectively distribute to the industrial end users, there must be a handshake,” he said.
The Minister also linked the initiative to the Electricity Act 2023, which provides a framework for greater participation by state governments and private investors in electricity generation, transmission and distribution.
He said the decentralisation of the power sector would deepen participation by sub-national governments and private investors while expanding access to electricity across the country.
Tegbe, however, identified vandalism of electricity infrastructure as a major challenge undermining efforts to improve power supply, urging host communities to protect power assets to ensure the sustainability of the investments.
Tegbe pledged the support of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the successful implementation of the Idu industrial power project.
Also speaking, the Minister of State for Industry, John Owan Enoh, said reliable electricity remained critical to the Federal Government’s broader industrialisation strategy, which focuses on local production, value addition, economic diversification and integrating Nigerian businesses into global markets.
Enoh said improved electricity supply would strengthen domestic production and create employment opportunities for the country’s growing youth population.
“When you produce locally, you contribute to job creation and provide our abundant youth with a pathway for employment,” he said.