Business
6000MW Target: Wya Blames Failure On Poor Funding, Gas Supply
ormer Minister of State for Power, and Ministerial nominee from Kaduna State, Architect Nuhu Somo Wya has declared that the federal government projection for the achievement of 6000mega watts elecrticity by the year 2009 hit the rocks because the ministry faced the challenges of inadequate supply of gas, security and poor funding.
Responding to questions from senators during his ministerial screening, Arch Wya said he would not apportion blames on anybody for the failure but strongly believe that the ministry did all it could, but for the said problems,
”I met a programme of 6000 megawatts project and we were assigned to pursue this programme to ensure that it is executed. By the grace of God, we were able to improve the power situation in the country to a level which is not commensurable to the mandate.
“We were faced with a challenge of what we could not control, that is the source of fuel and this source of fuel is gas. I am not trying to put a blame to anybody, I am just trying to say that we did rehabilitate our plants and got up to 5200 available generation capacity as at the end of December, last year,” he said.
“But we had stranded facility of 1500 megawatts due to inadequacy of gas. This inadequacy of gas cannot be blamed on a single source”.
“We know the challenges we went through, they are challenges of security, vandalisation and challenges of inadequate funding contributed to some of the issues that militated against our achievement of 6000 megawatts,” he said.
According to the nominee, the ministry as at December 24th, 2007, generated and distributed about 3700 megawatts of electricity, a target met before he came on stream but which later fell to 1500.
He said that after rehabilitating existing plants they were able to raise the supply to the same 3700mw and beyond and had remained there for limitations in availability of gas.
Nneka Amaechi- Nnadi (Abuja)
Kenya made it a clean sweep at the Berlin Marathon with Sabastian Sawe winning the men’s race and Rosemary Wanjiru triumphing in the women’s.
Sawe finished in two hours, two minutes and 16 seconds to make it three wins in his first three marathons.
The 30-year-old, who was victorious at this year’s London Marathon, set a sizzling pace as he left the field behind and ran much of the race surrounded only by his pacesetters.
Japan’s Akasaki Akira came second after a powerful latter half of the race, finishing almost four minutes behind Sawe, while Ethiopia’s Chimdessa Debele followed in third.
“I did my best and I am happy for this performance,” said Sawe.
“I am so happy for this year. I felt well but you cannot change the weather. Next year will be better.”
Sawe had Kelvin Kiptum’s 2023 world record of 2:00:35 in his sights when he reached halfway in 1:00:12, but faded towards the end.
In the women’s race, Wanjiru sped away from the lead pack after 25 kilometers before finishing in 2:21:05.
Ethiopia’s Dera Dida followed three seconds behind Wanjiru, with Azmera Gebru, also of Ethiopia, coming third in 2:21:29.
Wanjiru’s time was 12 minutes slower than compatriot Ruth Chepng’etich’s world record of 2:09:56, which she set in Chicago in 2024.
