The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola, has promised the Federal Government’s preparedness to pay contractors handling projects across the country and get them back to work next year.
The Minister, who made the promise at a media conference in Abuja on Tuesday, said that:”For us, our ability to achieve connectivity on load, depends on capital spending in 2016 to pay contractors and get them back to work”.
Mr Fashola informed reporters about his blueprints for handling issues in the three ministries he oversees.
He also emphasized his determination to implement an effective market tariff system for the power sector.
According to the Minister, a tariff system which allows consumers of electricity to pay for only what they consume is one sure way to having stable electricity supply.
“For emphasis and clarity, let me also say that the previous administration had approved the tariff in January 2015 but what they did was not to fully implement it.
“The implementation was suspended at the onset of elections and after elections. The operators asked government to implement and pay for what they had produced.
“I think the outages we saw during and after elections was because the gas companies were not paid.
“At the onset of this administration, the first batch of debt was paid and that is why power went up and which prompted some of the outages that are being experienced now.
“So, what we expect to do is to liquidate the verifiable and agreed debt that have accrued and to approve a market tariff.
“For us, the surest way not to have power is to oppose the implementation of the tariff order; without a tariff system, there will be no power.
“As at May 2015, many contractors had stopped work because of payment. Many families; husbands, wives, had to be laid off,” the Minister stated.
