23 October 2013, Abuja – There are plans by Nigeria’s Federal Government to grant subsidy for indigent Nigerians, according to the Information Minister, Mr Labaran Maku.
Maku stated this during the monthly briefing by his Ministry on the performance of the economy.
He allayed fears that rural dwellers would not be able to afford the cost of electricity under the private operators.
According to Maku, the Federal Government has guaranteed that all Nigerians, irrespective of their social status, will have unhindered access to electricity when private investors eventually take over the power sector.
Maku said the planned subsidy and other programmes were all geared toward long term sustainability and genuine transformation of the sector.
“We have put in place all other support institutions to ensure the efficient functioning of the electricity market.
“The payment of severance package to PHCN staff is to be concluded by the end of October and physical handover to the new owners thereafter.”
Maku said the successes recorded so far and the projected growth in the sector represented the ingenuity of the transformation to turn deficit into opportunities for investments in the power sector.
He appealed to Nigerians to be patient with the President, noting that the benefits of the planning and investments in the sector in the past few years would soon begin to yield results.
Maku said the Federal Government planned to address most of the challenges facing the 10 new power plants and inaugurate those that have yet to be inaugurated before the end of 2013.
He assured Nigerians that they would experience improvements in the power sector from 2014 and beyond.
The minister stated that more funds from the private sector would be put into distribution facilities in the years to come.
= NAN