The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, has revealed that it took Nigeria nearly 40 years to increase its power generation by 2,000 megawatts from 2,000MW in 1984 to 4,000MW by 2022.

Adelabu said this feat has been achieved in less than two years of the current administration, with the country experiencing a remarkable surge in power generation, to an impressive 6003 megawatts.

Adelabu made this known when he was paid a courtesy visit by members of the Nigerian Society of Engineers, led by its President, Margret Oguntala, to discuss areas of collaboration between the NSE and the ministry.

A statement by the spokesman for the Minister of Power, Bolaji Tunji, on Wednesday, said the discussion further centred on strategic partnerships, mentorship opportunities, and the crucial role of NSE in providing technical advisory support to the ministry on power-related issues.

According to the minister, Nigeria should have moved past the engineering-related challenges, particularly in the power sector, given the number of engineers the country has produced.

While reviewing the activities of the Federal Government since the present administration took over, the minister noted that it took Nigeria nearly 40 years to increase from 2000 megawatts in 1984 to 4000 megawatts that Nigeria had as at 2022, adding that less than two years of the present administration, this has increased to 6003 megawatts.

He acknowledged that while the country was not yet where it should be, the progress demonstrated that President Bola Tinubu’s administration was committed to revitalizing the power sector.

“In 1984, the country generated 2000MW of electricity and this was not increased to 4000MW until about 40 years later, around 2022 or so.

“We are about two years now, but we have been able to increase it to 6000 megawatts and this can be attributed to the efforts of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the realisation of the importance of the sector as a major factor to galvanise the economy,” the minister said.

He therefore urged the society to take training seriously, encourage, and serve as role models for the younger generation, inspiring them to show greater interest in the profession.

He stressed the need for collaboration and a stronger working relationship between the Nigerian Society of Engineers and the Federal Ministry of Power, especially in addressing challenges facing the power sector, assuring his willingness to collaborate closely with the Society in tackling some of the challenges in the power sector.

He said, “Let me thank you and your executive members for your visit to me and to the Power Ministry. There is no way to separate the Power Ministry from the NSE because most of our works here are engineering-related, so there is a natural relationship between us. But the issue is that, has this relationship crystallised into mutual benefits? Has the ministry benefitted from the competence of the NSE members to impact the power infrastructure in the country in the supply of stable, functional, and reliable power?


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