By Samuel Oyejola
In spite the unemployment rate in the country especially among the youth, the Minster of Housing, Power, and Works, Mr Babatunde Raji Fahola has said that youth unemployment should not be an issue in Nigeria considering the challenges that pose opportunities for the youth to fill the gap especially in the power and energy sector.
The Minster said that the Buhari administration would continue to unleash policies that would lead to creation of jobs and opportunities for the youth across the country to tap into.
The Minister said this during the commissioning of the 100 kw solar power installation at the House on the Rock (Place of Refuge) Church in Abuja today.
According to the minster, “Our country has no business with youth unemployment. The challenges we have to deal with are sufficient bastions of opportunities if the right policies are in place. The Buhari’s administration will continue to unleash policies that will lead and create jobs.”
Fashola said that the power and energy supply is one of the five project actions that President Buhari has challenged the ministry to deliver upon, under the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan.
He revealed that despite the call in some quarters for the reversal of the privatization of the energy sector the present government is committed to reengineer the error in the privatization to solve the problems in the power sector.
H said that in the effort by the government to improve energy supply in the country, the board of the Rural Electrification Agency was inaugurated to implement most of the renewable energy components of the power supply programme.
He added that the implementation of the power sector roadmap would require the active collaboration of the government and the citizen. “Our role will be largely to make policies, to regulate, to provide the enabling environment for citizens to do business”.
While explaining that the roles of the citizens in the power sector is to make the decision to invest in an industry that needs activities that would deliver incremental power, Fashola said that the solar renewable is the way to the future in order to secure the environment.
He pointed out that the 1.2mgw Usman Dam Solar Project which currently power the Usman Dam water power for the federal Capital territory is already self-sufficient using green energy is completed and running in line with the commitment of the Buhari’s administration to deliver constant power supply to Nigerians.
“I have exercise my right, as to declare eligible customers who are not served by their DISCOS to begin to make arrangement with the generation companies where the DISCOS are unable to make the investment in terms of feeders to serve the customers to have a direct relationship with the company producing the power if the man who is supposed to distribute cannot.
“These are some of the reforms that will ultimately improve competition and of course where there is competition we will have productivity. If we are waiting for the government to deliver the solar power for all it will take a long time but with competition everybody can play and we set the rules.” He said.
