The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, says that the Federal Government is set to establish a new 330KV power substation in Ibadan.

Adelabu disclosed this during his nationwide tour of power facilities in the area on Monday.

He said that the successes of other sectors were anchored on the success of the power sector in Nigeria.

He also disclosed the federal government’s intention to upgrade and modernise the 46-year-old Ayede power substation in Ibadan for improved performance.

“The establishment of the new 330KV power substation will help to ease the burden on the Ayede power station, which has wide coverage and an expansion of consumers.

“The power substation, being 46 years old, is currently faced with the challenges of old and weak power equipment that must be upgraded with modern appliances,” he said.

The minister added that the ministry had, in the last few months, embarked on a complete and comprehensive diagnosis of the power sector in Nigeria with the necessary consultations.

“We are now in a new phase, a stage of going round to see the state of power facilities, listening to consumers, staff, and other stakeholders.

“Nigerians expect so much from us; we must work together as stakeholders so that Nigerians will see a gradually improved, accelerated, and sustainable power supply,” he said.

Adelabu further said that the government had, through the office of the National Security Adviser, improved on the protection of power facilities all over the country.

He noted that the government would not fold its arms and allow saboteurs to continue to destroy power equipment and installations.

The minister also pledged to prioritise the welfare of staff in the sector, to motivate them, and to ensure that hard work was adequately rewarded.

In his response, Taiwo Ojo, the principal manager system operations at Ayede Power Substation, said that the expansion of the transmission power substation with an additional 330 kV was long overdue.

He added that this was considering that other states like Lagos now had six power substations.

Ojo urged the ministry to expedite work on the Ayede-Isagamu transmission line to harness huge investment opportunities in the axis.

He lauded the minister’s decision to personally assess the state of power facilities in the country. (NAN)