FG signs MoU with Chinese firm to assembly electric tricycles, establish first renewable energy academy in Nigeria
By Babagana Jidda
kanempress
6 September 2024
The Nigerian Government has also signed two Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with a Chinese Company, Mutual Commitment Company (MCC) Limited.
The MoU was facilitated by the Rural Electrification Agency (REA), an agency of the Federal Ministry of Power.
Representing Nigeria were the Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, and the Managing Director of REA, Mr Abba Aliyu.
Adelabu said the signing of the MoU would go down as a memorable event for Nigeria.
He congratulated the REA and the National Power Training Institute of Nigeria (NAPTIN), saying that the MOU would enable Nigeria to achieve it’s vision for the renewable energy sub-sector of the entire electricity sector value chain.
Adelabu said the MoU signing is important for several factors.
He stressed: “I know Nigeria and China have a lot of things in common, one of which is the fact that Nigeria and China are both high population countries and with a country with high population, you have so much pressure. The first pressure is that of energy access and the second being job creation.
“So, when you take steps to achieve both, it is a thing of joy. I am particularly happy that this is happening during the tenure of President Bola Tinubu, as it is in line with achieving the Renewed Hope Agenda of the administration.”
The minister said President Tinubu had prioritised the power sector as the driver for all other critical sectors of the economy and, “ he is giving us all the support to ensure we deliver on his electoral promises”.
He noted that energy access and expansion are government’s major priorities because nothing can be achieved without strong, stable, functional and reliable electricity sector.
Adelabu added: “ We have relied so much on centralization of our power sector for so long that it is not taking us anywhere”.
The Minister said the Mutual Commitment Company is presently engaged in Nigeria with the construction of 12megawatts and three megawatts power plants in Maiduguri and Kaduna respectively.
Vice Chairman of MCC, Yan Zhezhu, who spoke through an interpreter, lauded the power minister’s commitment to Nigeria’s energy growth.
He said: “We are not new to Nigeria, having started in Oyo State a long time ago. Presently, we have ongoing projects in Maiduguri and Kaduna and we appreciate the cooperation we have so far received. Our projects have seen us working with states and the Federal Government in Nigeria and we are committed to do more”.
The National grid had on Monday hit a record high of 5,313 megawatts, a record high in the last three years.
On the heels of this, the minister called on the Distribution Companies to make use of the opportunity to take more energy to avert grid collapse as frequency drops, when power is produced and not picked by the DISCOs.
Mr Adelabu said efforts would be made to encourage industries to purchase bulk energy.
However, a top official of one of the Distribution Companies in Nigeria said the companies are finding it difficult to pick the extra energy being produced because, “ we are not happy with the tariff on other bands apart from Band A.”
He added: “As it is now, we are basically operating at a loss. Yes, they supply more power, but this problem could be solved with improved tariff for the other bands and more meter penetration to recover cost.”
