The Nigerian 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.
Republished from dailytrust. Read Original Article here
