Bola Ahmed Tinubu has cautioned Nigerians against expecting an immediate resolution to the country’s electricity challenges, citing the longstanding issues with its power infrastructure.
During a visit by German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Tinubu emphasized ongoing reforms designed to create a business-friendly environment and attract foreign investment.
The remarks came in the wake of Nigeria’s latest national grid collapse on Wednesday, marking the 12th such incident in 2024.
Tinubu acknowledged the efforts of Siemens Energy in addressing the situation but reiterated that significant improvements will take time due to the state of the existing infrastructure.
He said, “Nigeria, being a nation in a hurry, wants a magical response. But don’t forget, those transmission lines are about 50 to 60 years old.
“The snags are what we are trying to improve and reduce the possibility of problems. We are doing that. I’ve signed a reform that decentralised the power distribution and generation in the country. The states and various subsectors and subnational can generate their power and distribute it; they are working on it all.
“We have German businesses who are promoting alternative sources of energy, and they are here. We have the sun; they have the technology. I think we can utilise that for rural electrification; as mentioned earlier on, we can use the various dams that are not effective. We assure you that we will put these dams to use for the benefit of our people.”
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The President also underscored the importance of youth training, solid minerals, and industrial partnerships in advancing Nigeria’s development agenda.
“We have a brilliant youth population that is energetic and ready to learn. We have a population that is market-friendly. We have an industrial plan that is anxious to establish assembly plants.
“We equally have solid minerals and the best proportion we can harness to attract German businesses and partners for progress.”
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