Analysing the move made by President Muhammadu Buhari in relieving the Minister of Power, Saleh Mamman, of his position as a result of the power situation in the country. It appears there is a reshuffling game.
In what happened to be a rather swift move, the former Minister of Power, Saleh Mamman, was replaced by Engineer Abubakar Aliyu, Minister of States, Works and Housing. According to the Special Adviser to the President, Saleh Mamman was sacked following an independent and critical self-review of his performance during his term.
The question hanging around the minds of many Nigerians is whether a reshuffling game of positions would improve electricity access in the country.
Long before, Engr. Saleh Mamman assumed office as Minister of Power, there have been critical challenges in all units of the power sector. However, despite efforts made by successive governments, the power sector has proven to be a hard nut to crack.
Nigerians have suffered darkness, notwithstanding the numerous resources for power generation. Many businesses are no longer reliant on the national grid but thrive to acquire other means of electricity. When Mamman assumed office in 2019, he rightly identified the challenges in the power sector and pledged to mitigate these challenges.
However, down the line, the challenges seem to have increased. In 2021 alone, the World Bank released a report station that more than half the country’s populace lack electricity. This has been accompanied by several other challenges such as poor gas supply, faulty transmission lines, and poor distribution networks, with more than four National Grid failures.
Given that the mantle of leadership of the power sector has fallen on the shoulders of Abubakar Aliyu, would Nigerians begin to see progress, or would there be a need for another reshuffling game?