By Bassey Asuquo
The Tinubu Media Support Group (TMSG) has dismissed claims by a former federal lawmaker, Dino Melaye, that President Bola Tinubu opted for solar power in Aso Rock because he has given up on power generation as uneducated and uninformed.
In a statement signed by its Chairman, Emeka Nwankpa, and Secretary Dapo Okubanjo, TMSG wondered how a solar power option that is bound to save the country billions of naira annually has turned into a political tool to fool unsuspecting Nigerians.
It said: “As a former lawmaker, it is expected that Mr Dino Melaye would have been aware of budget defence sessions where bureaucrats from the State House presented annual budgets for electricity supply running into billions of naira for the Presidential villa.
“It was not until recently that it emerged that Aso Rock’s yearly electricity bill had hit N47bn, and that is without considering millions of naira that would need to be budgeted for diesel and maintenance of electricity generators for the complex.
“We are also aware that the State House Permanent Secretary, Temitope Fashola, had earlier in the year told senators at a budget defence session that the Solarisation project at Aso Rock would also save the country the cost of replacing the ageing electricity generating plants, which could run into hundreds of millions of naira.
“He also cited how the State House clinic had been totally off the national grid since May last year as a result of a cost-saving solar power system.
“So if the President Bola Tinubu administration is opting for a solar power project costing N17bn, which is a one-off payment for off-grid power supply, should this not be seen as a cost-cutting measure deserving of praise?
“In addition, we are aware that the electricity supply meant for the State House would now be retained in the National grid for communities in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
“It therefore beggars belief that a former federal lawmaker who has spent a minimum of eight years in the National Assembly and who ordinarily is expected to understand these issues could take to social media to make such a frivolous claim.”
The group also provided insight into recent steps taken by the government to improve power supply.
“As for his position that the administration has given up on power, nothing could be further from the truth. It is a fact that this government recently paved the way for the decentralisation of the sector by pushing through legislation that enables the involvement of subnational governments in the electricity value chain.
“In addition, the Siemens Power Project initiated by the late President Muhammadu Buhari under the Presidential Power Initiative (PPI) is still on course and is being aggressively driven by the Tinubu administration with a view to modernising Nigeria’s electricity infrastructure.
“We also note that this government has made concrete efforts to resolve legacy debts owed to electricity-generating companies (GENCOs). This is in addition to rolling out millions of free smart meters to provide a permanent solution to estimated billing across Nigeria.
“Only a political operative with ulterior motives like the former Senator would claim that the federal government is abandoning the power sector, especially as we are moving closer to another Presidential election,” TMSG said.
It added that aside from saving and cutting costs, the federal government also has a net-zero emission commitment to meet.
“Besides, there is an ongoing effort by Nigeria to transition to cleaner energy sources and reduce carbon emissions in line with its commitment to net zero emissions by 2060.
“So it is not out of place for the President Tinubu administration to be leading the charge by ensuring that the State House complex and several Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) are connected under the National Public Sector Solarisation Initiative (NPSSI),” it noted.
The group urged the former senator to be less shambolic in his public engagements but to do his best, as he advances in age, to open himself up to more enlightenment and education on the subject matter without exposing the image of the National Assembly, where he was a ranking member, to public shame and ridicule.