Former Power Minister Barth Nnaji stated that Nigeria needs at least 100,000MW of installed power capacity to meet its energy demands. Speaking on Arise TV, he emphasized the importance of aggressive power generation, infrastructure investment, and renewable energy adoption. Nnaji warned that without these efforts, issues like load shedding will persist. He urged distribution companies to invest in substations and called for a focused national strategy to improve power availability and upgrade transmission and distribution networks.
He also cited Aba’s successful establishment of 90 substations as a model for boosting power delivery.Prof. Barth Nnaji expressed concerns about a proposed ban on solar panel imports, questioning if Nigeria can currently produce them at scale. While supporting local manufacturing, he recommended a transitional phase to boost domestic capacity. He also advocated for using Nigeria’s natural gas, hydropower, and solar energy, noting wind power’s limited viability.
Nnaji highlighted challenges in power distribution, citing overly large Disco coverage areas as a barrier to efficiency and investment. He suggested breaking them into smaller franchises to enhance performance. He stressed that attracting more Gencos requires financially stable Discos capable of paying for power supplied.The Federal Government recently approved the National Integrated Electricity Policy (NIEP) to reform the power sector. Dr. Muda Yusuf warned that banning solar panel imports could worsen Nigeria’s energy crisis due to limited local production capacity.
