By Simon Echewofun Sunday
The federal government will
spend over N3 billion on fuel, generators and plants across 602
ministries, departments and agencies this year.
These figures do not include money voted by the agencies for payment of electricity charges during the year.
Analysis of 2019 budget proposals has shown that only four federal agencies have zero allocation for plants and generators.
This
huge figures for generators and fuel is coming at time the Minister of
Power, Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola is saying that power
supply had improved and that there was more power coming to the grid
this year.
Fashola on assumption of office in November 2015
unveiled his “incremental, steady and uninterrupted power” agenda and
last Saturday night said government had walked the talk and “fulfilled
its promise.”
Statistics from the Transmission Company of Nigeria
(TCN) indicates that peak electricity generation on Wednesday was 3,806
megawatts (MW), falling from the 4,687MW attained on January 1, 2019.
While
the generation company capacity was at 11,000MW, what GenCos can
actually deliver remains at 7,139MW; the capacity for the transmission
of generated electricity was 7,500MW, but the network operational
capacity for distributing the electricity is 6,500MW.
Despite
this shortcoming, the national peak demand forecast is pegged at
23,000MW which is deemed to create the steady, uninterrupted power
supply that Fashola seeks to happen.
But speaking on the
fulfilled promise of boosting electricity, the minister who spoke on NTA
last weekend said, “When one takes stock, the point to make is that we
have walked our talk. We have fulfilled our promise. It is important to
benchmark power not just as power electricity itself.
“It is an
economic enabler and that is why it is no accident that this government
is committed to ensuring that first there is incremental power, then
steady power and inevitably uninterrupted power because we are committed
to enabling business to be competitive, efficient, to sustain growth
and to produce jobs,” Fashola said.
Health ministry leads 7-big spenders,budgets N725m
Leading
the big spenders on fuelling and maintenance of generators and plants
is the Federal Ministry of Health headquarters and its 58 other agencies
with N725.814 million budget.
Next on the line is the Ministry
of Interior and its eight agencies with N579.6 million budget;
Education ministry and its 169 agencies captured in the document will
spend N336.7 million this year to provide its own electricity.
The
Ministry of Defence and its 14 other agencies budgeted N260 million to
power their buildings. Another 23 Agencies and Departments under the
Presidency followed the trail by budgeting N143.3 million for generators
and their fuelling.
The Ministry of Power, Works and Housing and
its nine agencies is the sixth big spender with N102.3 million budget
for the alternative power supply devices while the seventh spender is
the Ministry of Finance and its 47 agencies, budgeting N101.581 million
for similar purpose.
Foreign affairs budget N89m for embassies
At
the medium level, the Foreign Affairs Ministry is topping 10 other
Ministries with N89.7 million generator expenses bill. The ministry
budget also budgeted for its 47 embassies and agencies while two other
had Warsaw and Canberra embassies have zero budget for generators.
Close
to it is the Budget and National Planning Ministry along with its six
agencies; they will expend N86.891 million to fuel their generators.
The State House and eight agencies under it was next with N85.8 million ‘generator’ budget.
About
N82.4 million will be spent by the Ministry of Environment for the
headquarters and its 17 agencies to maintain and fuel generators as
separate budget from electricity charges.
Information and Culture
Ministry will spend N57.9 million for its headquarters and 18 agencies;
Head of Services has N55.1 million for it and its 13 agencies; fuelling
and servicing generators will take N47.5 million for 32 agencies and
the headquarters of the Agriculture and Rural Development Ministry.
Equally,
Justice ministry has pegged N41.5 million to run their power generators
across its 10 agencies. Science Technology Ministry has N39.1 million
budget for its 57 agencies and the headquarter, while Mines and Steel
will spend N28.2 million across its 11 agencies.
Trade and
Investment captured N25.3 million for its nine agencies and parastatals;
Youth and Sports has N23.6 million for just five agencies and its
ministry.
Similarly, the Ministry of Transportation has N22.7 million for just five agencies and its headquarters.
More
so, the Ministry of Petroleum Resources has N22.3 million for just
three agencies and its headquarters. Water Resources has N21.5 million
for the ministry and nine agencies.
Communication ministry is lowest with N1.7m
On
the lowest rung is the Ministry of Communication and Technology with
N1.7 million ‘generator’ budget only for the ministry. It has zero
allocation to the Nigeria Communication Satellite, its sole agency.
The
Niger Delta Ministry has N3.3 million for only the ministry’s
headquarters; National Population Commission (NPC) has N8.8 million for
just its headquarters while the Ministry of Labour and Employment pegged
N13 million for the headquarters and two agencies.
Source:- Dailytrustng
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