Vice President Kashim Shettima Thursday streessed the need for the decentralisation of the country’s electricity supply to put an end to the incessant collapse of the national grid.
Speaking at the 145th NEC meeting at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, the Vice President listed some of the measures for the decentralisation of the national grid to include the establishment of mini-grids and the utilisation of renewable energy sources like solar photovoltaic and wind turbines.
He called for the urgent implementation of the Nigeria Energy Sector Implementation Plan (NESIP), stressing that the energy sector must embrace the potential of renewable energy and leverage solar and mini-grid solutions designed to meet regional electricity demands.
“A robust economy is the backbone of every nation. The recent blackouts caused by the actions of vandals remind us of our urgent need to expand our energy infrastructure. I believe the governors here would agree that the decentralisation of electricity is our path forward.
“We will continue to promote the constitutional framework that empowers constituent states within the Nigerian federation to generate, transmit, and distribute electricity in areas covered by the national grid. Together, we can make instability a relic of the past.
“Furthermore, our energy sector must embrace the potential of renewable energy. We must leverage solar and mini-grid solutions tailored to regional needs. I urge the Council to support the implementation of the Nigeria Energy Sector Implementation Plan (NESIP)
“If we capitalise on our diverse regional energy resources — from northern Nigeria’s solar potential to the south’s gas reserves—we can build a resilient, decentralised energy system that drives growth and empowers our communities,” he said.
On Human Capital Index, the Vice President cautioned that it is a tragedy that must be confronted following Nigeria’s low ranking.
“We grapple with alarming statistics related to life expectancy, maternal and child mortality, and educational attainment. We gather here today to redeem this dark reality through a series of deliberations and recommendations across various sectors, to be presented by participating specialists in government and by development partners,” he said.
The Vice President shed light on the progress made so far in the bid to mitigate flood disasters, saying “the past few months have tested the durability of the solutions” implemented to advance flood resilience.
“Although the floods caught many of us off guard in various parts of the nation, our proactive mitigation efforts have inspired sustainable strategies to address the extensive damage caused, including significant property losses and health risks.
“I commend the Honourable Minister of Water Resources and the Director-General of National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) for their foresight and swift action. Today invites us to reinforce our commitment to implementing approved mitigation measures, ensuring that states report their flood damages comprehensively, as outlined in our NEC Ad-hoc Committee report,” he said.
The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr Wale Edun, briefed the xouncil on several key national accounts.
He said the Excess Crude Account stands at $473,754.57, the Natural Resources Fund at ₦26,105,837,627.67 and the Stabilisation Account at ₦36,299,452,763.62.
The Minister also updated NEC on current economic relief measures, saying 25 million Nigerians were currently benefitting from federal social protection initiatives, including digital outreach, microenterprise loans and sector-specific support for power, agriculture, manufacturing, health and Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) initiatives.
The minister also announced a new government policy that would permit Nigerians who currently hold dollars outside the formal banking system to bring them into the financial system within a nine-month period, without facing any legal liability or financial penalties.
