Barth Nnaji Proposes Steps to Stabilize Nigeria's Power Sector

During the 30th, 31st, and 32nd graduation lecture at Abia State University, Professor Barth Nnaji, a former Minister of Power, outlined critical steps to address Nigeria's deteriorating electricity crisis. He criticized the suspension of payments amounting to N6.8 trillion owed to power generation firms and N200 billion to distribution companies.

Nnaji advocated for the restoration of power purchase agreements (PPAs) and the establishment of a 765kV super grid to prevent nationwide blackouts. He noted that Nigeria has not built new power plants in the last 12 years, except for the 451MW Azura Edo Power Plant and the 188MW Geometric Power Plant in Aba.

He emphasized the importance of financial instruments like the World Bank's partial risk guarantee to attract investment in new power generation. Nnaji also highlighted the need for Nigeria to increase its electricity supply to 100,000MW by 2040 and suggested re-embracing coal-fired plants to meet rising energy demands.