Is Power Minister, Adebayo Adelabu, Under Intense Pressure to Deliver?

The Nigerian power sector is seeing all kinds of things these days. With the notable drops in the frequency of power delivery to households, it seems as if the nation is reverting to the days of Up NEPA—assuming some regions and communities ever left. With such matters at hand, how can Adebayo Adelabu, the Minister of Power, rest easy?

Adelabu is starting to feel some of the heat associated with overseeing a ministry as proverbial upside-down as power. Before now, the former banker and politician appeared to take everything in stride, exhibiting an attitude that indicated calm and control. But from the decisions so far made, Adelabu is not the calmest minister in President Bola Tinubu’s cabinet.

The matter of a hike in tariff is among the earliest follow-come components of Adelabu’s ministerial prowess. The possible increase in electricity pricing sent the masses complaining. Even though Adelabu has assured Nigerians that no such thing will happen now due to other prevailing issues, especially petrol price hikes and Naira devaluation wahala, the votes of confidence for Adelabu are reducing.

It is a good thing that Adelabu is benign enough to recognise that certain policies would cause havoc in the country. But even he knows that this benevolence gets him nowhere without strong positive moves from him. Perhaps, this is why reports that the federal government wants to create 340,000 jobs via the power sector by 2030 are all over the place.

Undoubtedly, Adelabu is under pressure to perform. Why else are there so many initiatives, projects, and promises to get Nigerians into a waiting posture? Plans are good and active planning is welcome. But even better is action.

Adelabu is doing something, but he must hasten whatever this thing is to deepen the impact of his position. Otherwise, Nigerians might add him to the list of perfunctory ministers and drag his seat from under him.