President Muhammadu Buhari has stated that the epileptic power situation in the country should no longer be seen as a laughing matter, assuring that his administration will generate 10,000 megawatts of distributable power over the next three years.
The President stated this on Monday while delivering a keynote address at the National Economic Council, NEC retreat at the old Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
According to him, “Nigerians’ favourite talking point and butt of jokes is the power situation in our country. But, ladies and gentlemen, it is no longer a laughing matter.
“We must and by the grace of God we will put things right. In the three years left for this administration we have given ourselves the target of ten thousand megawatts distributable power.
“In 2016 alone, we intend to add two thousand megawatts to the national grid. This sector has been privatised but has yet to show any improvement in the quality of service.”
The President further stated that the purpose of the retreat was to “generate immediate, medium and long term, viable policy solutions to the economic challenge facing us at both the federal and state levels.
“From my information, issues worrying the public today are rise in food prices such as maize, corn, rice and garri, lack of visible impact of government presence on agriculture, lack of agricultural import at affordable prices, cost of fertilizers, pesticides and labour,” he said.
“When I was a schoolboy in the 50s, the country produced one million tonnes of groundnuts in two successive years. The country’s main foreign exchange earner, were groundnut, cotton, cocoa, palm kernel rubber, all agro/forest resources.”
While identifying agriculture, power, manufacturing and housing as drivers of the economy, Buhari said: “I am not touching on the subject of education and science and technology because these require a whole retreat by themselves”.
The retreat is being attended by 36 state governors who are members of the council, some members of the Federal Executive Council, heads of some government’s departments and agencies as well as some state commissioners.
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