Ministry of Power budgets N324.1M for generators in 2017

For the purchase, maintenance and fuelling of plants and generators in 2017, the Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing will spend a total of N324.1M.

According to a report by Punch, the ministry under ex-Gov Babatunde Raji Fashola will be expending the fund on generators at its headquarters and agencies in the 2017 fiscal year.

It was also reported that according to the 2017 Appropriation Bill currently before the National Assembly, the headquarters and agencies of the Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing have budgeted N35.63m on the maintenance of plants/generators; N57.24m on plant/generator fuel; and N231.2m on the purchase of generating sets.

The report further revealed that the need for inclusion of cost of purchase, maintenance and fuelling of plants and generators in many federal ministries budgets is as a result of the instability in power generation across the country.

A reported analysis of the appropriation bill submitted showed that the Ministry of Power headquarters would spend N217.1m on the purchase, maintenance and fuelling of generators.

A sum of N50m will be spent by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission on the purchase of generators while another N57m is to be spent by about 10 other agencies under the ministry on generator fuelling and maintenance.

However three agencies that include Transmission Company of Nigeria, Nigeria Bulk Electricity Trading, and the Regional Centre for Training in Aerospace Survey have no allocation for generator purchase, maintenance or fuelling despite being under the ministry of Power.