Presidential spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, has faulted the recent pledge by the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, to increase Nigeria’s electricity generation and distribution by at least 10,000 megawatts within four years, saying the former Anambra State governor does not fully understand the country’s existing power infrastructure capacity.
Speaking during an interview on Arise Television on Tuesday, Onanuga said Nigeria already possesses an installed electricity generation capacity that exceeds the figure Obi promised to deliver if elected president in 2027.
According to him, the country’s major challenge is not the absence of generation capacity but structural bottlenecks, including inadequate gas supply, legacy debts owed to gas suppliers and an outdated national grid.
“What people don’t know, and which unfortunately Peter Obi did not know, when he came and said he’s going to generate 10,000 megawatts, we already have in Nigeria stored capacity of 13,500 megawatts,” Onanuga said.
The presidential aide argued that successive challenges in the power sector have prevented the country from fully utilizing its installed generation capacity.
