The Federal Government on Thursday assured investors in Nigeria of adequate power supply across the country, especially in industrial clusters.
The Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima, also said Nigeria offers vast opportunities for both investors and its citizens.
He made the assurances at the Agbara Business Roundtable in Agbara, Ogun State’s Ado-Odo-Ota Local Government Area.
The event marked the beginning of a campaign to secure a reliable power source for industrial clusters nationwide, with Agbara Industrial Estate leading the way.
The VP lamented that the Agbara Cluster rely on supplementary power sources alongside the national grid.
He stated that the Federal Government, in collaboration with the Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC), was resolute in its efforts to provide more economical power generation options for industrial clusters like Agbara.
Shettima, who is the Chairman Board of Directors, (NDPHC) promised that the Agbara Industrial Estate will have a steady power supply in the next four months.
He challenged the NDPHC team to redouble their efforts to achieve the Agbara Industrial Cluster power program’s delivery in just three to four months.
He said,“I am here to reassure the business community that we mean business. I want to give you my word and my word is my bond, if you need 200 Megawatts, 300 Megawatts, we can give it to you.
“Be rest assured, we are going to supply your power needs with no strings attached. We are giving power to Togo, I think we are giving 100 Megawatts to Togo, and some of these nations are not even paying us. Why can’t we give to businesses that will pay us? It is just simple arithmetic; it is a matter of economics.”
“It is all about advocacy, it is about people believing in you and I have the confidence of my boss, such that I can talk authoritatively. He is very passionate about the Nigerian project. He is very committed to repositioning this nation.”
The Governor of Ogun State, Prince Dapo Abiodun, decried that the lack of electricity could undermine the value of infrastructure projects for both the state’s residents and the entire nation.
He said, “We believe that such initiatives like this speak to ensuring the sustainability of competitive industrialization and one must not but salute this initiative.
“We as a state have gone ahead besides this Agbara Cluster, we have five other clusters. We have one by the Interchange called Remo Cluster, we are creating a new one called the Magboro Cluster. We are creating our own Aerotropolis which is our special agro-processing zone, which will be the first of its kind in Nigeria. We also have the Ijebu-Ode cluster because we believe that it is through these clusters that we can jump-start socio-economic activity.
“These clusters, what do they seem to do, we provide the parcel of land, provide the needed infrastructure and this attracts industrial activities.
“But, without a doubt, without stable, reliable, and clean power, all these initiatives will be in vain. So, to that extent, we are extremely excited.”
