•Accuses them of vandalising gas pipelines
The Federal Government on Tuesday blamed the erratic power supply across the country on activities of some opposition forces.
The government accused the opposition of vandalising gas pipelines.
It said preliminary investigation revealed that the saboteurs, suspected to be members of opposition political parties and groups, were ready to lay their down their lives to frustrate the nation’s power sector transformation.
Senior Special Assistant on Public Affairs to the President, Dr. Doyin Okupe, stated this in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital, after a-one day summit for all states publicity secretaries of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Okupe said the President had directed armed troops to clamp down on the vandals.
He said: “These people have resolved to continue to play the dangerous game. They know that all things being equal, President Goodluck Jonathan will deliver on the promise of regular power supply. Once he does that, the people will vote him into office for second term. Those who are unrelenting at querying the capability of the President to deliver have resolved to sabotage the effort and destroy the Nigerian dream.
“When I spoke with the Managing Director of the Niger Delta Power Holding Company, James Olotu, and I was told that commissioning or not, the power plants are not operational due to lack of gas supply.
“The $16 billion project lies in waste due to lack of gas supply. They want to kill the Nigerian dream and this is why the President has not been able to deliver on his promise. If the saboteurs had allowed the transformation plan to be operational, we would have hit the target of generating over 300 per cent of what was generated in the past.
“In all these, they are not only aiming at the President, but trying to kill the dream of regular power supply by the people.”
Okupe added that the Federal Government earmarked $16 billion for the completion of 10 national integrated power projects across the country.
He revealed that repairs on the vandalised gas pipelines had begun so as to restore regular supply to the existing power plants and raise the power generated to 7,000 mega watts.
Source: National Mirror
