By EricJames Ochigbo/ Salisu Sani-Idris
Vice-President Kashim Shettima has reiterated the determination of President Bola Tinubu’s administration to reform and strengthen nation’s power sector.
Shettima spoke on Thursday in Abuja when he inaugurated the new head office of the Nigerian Electricity Liability Management Company (NELMCO).
The vice president noted that while the promise of every nation rested on its abundance, Nigeria could not afford to gamble with energy security.
He said the inauguration of the edifice symbolised a new phase of modernisation, efficiency, and forward-thinking leadership.
“This administration remains resolute in its commitment to reform and strengthen the power sector.
“Permit me to commend the Board, Management, and staff of NELMCO for your dedication.
“Yours is a task that often goes unnoticed, yet it is foundational to everything we seek to achieve in this sector. You are, in many ways, the custodians of the sector’s credibility,” he stated.
While underscoring the crucial role NELMCO plays in the power sector, Shettima said the electricity firm represented the nation’s commitment to confronting “the burdens of yesterday so that they do not mortgage the possibilities of tomorrow”.
He said that Tinubu’s administration understood that energy security was the ultimate foundation upon which national progress must stand.
According to Shettima, Nigeria is counting on the aspiration of NELMCO to restore a measure of confidence within the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry.
This, he maintained, aligned with the broader agenda of President Tinubu, which was the commitment to reposition the energy sector as a commercially viable and investment-ready space.
The vice president expressed belief that the new NELMCO headquarters would breathe a new lease of life into the institution and strengthened it.
“Whatever we do in investing in the capacity to solve problems that are often invisible but always consequential, cannot reasonably be said to be enough unless we provide a lasting solution to these legacy challenges,” he added.
He called on partners in the private sector and the international community to invest in Nigeria’s power sector, reaffirming that the nation remained open for business.
“We are committed to creating a transparent, predictable, and investor-friendly environment.
“Institutions like NELMCO demonstrate that we are not only serious about reform, but capable of sustaining it,” he further stated.
The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, said a stable power sector, which NELMCO was working to achieve, would positively impact Small Scale and Medium Enterprises (SMEs).
Edun, who is also the Vice Chairman of the NELMCO Board, noted that President Tinubu remained focused on transforming the power sector.
The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, said the new edifice was a clear demonstration of Federal Government’s efforts to strengthen power sector liquidity.
He stressed that the decentralisation and liberalisation of the power sector was anchored on the Electricity Act signed into law by President Tinubu.
According to him, the act is a landmark legislation that now allows the 36 states to participate actively in providing electricity to Nigerians.
The Managing Director of NELMCO, Mrs Mojoyinoluwa Dekalu-Thomas, said NELMCO now served as a clearing house for legacy debt.
She disclosed that the agency had moved beyond debt settlement and had generated revenue in excess of N30 billion for the Federal Government.
Dekalu-Thomas said that the edifice is a centre of excellence where the complicated mathematics of the power sector is solved.
According to her, NELMCO is no longer just a liability company but has become the engine eoom of sector liquidity.
“We are the silent partner ensuring that as the 10th Assembly legislates and the Executive executes, the financial foundation of the Nigerian power sector remains rock-solid and future-ready.
“To the dogged and determined management and staff of NELMCO, let this new headquarters be a reminder that your hard work though often behind the scenes, is the current that keeps the lights on.
“We are the foundation upon which the “Renewed Hope” for a powered Nigeria is built. I thank you all for your support and I want to specially acknowledge the immeasurable contribution of former MDs, Dr. Adebayo Fagbemi and Dr. Samuel Agbogun to NELMCO’s success.
“I thank most wholeheartedly the Honourable Minister of Power and Chairman of NELMCO’s Board, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, who singlehandedly ensured that the dream of a permanent home for NELMCO came to be.
“Your support, confidence and belief in us are the reasons we are all gathered to witness this momentous occasion. I owe a debt of gratitude to His Excellency, the Vice Presidentfor his invaluable guidance, mentorship and accessibility, I cannot exaggerate the overwhelming impact the relationship has had on our growth,” she said. (NAN)