The Buhari Media Organisation (BMO) has described the latest update on the ongoing Siemens power project as another indication that history will be kind to President Muhammadu Buhari.
The group said in a statement signed by its Chairman Niyi Akinsiju and Secretary Cassidy Madueke that it is heartwarming that the German company is fully committed to delivering and installing 10 power transformers and 10 mobile substations before May 2023.
“If there is any doubt about the Presidential Power initiative (PPI) of the Buhari administration and the government-to-government agreement it sealed in 2019 with Germany on increasing Nigeria’s electricity power capacity, then the recent visit of the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Siemens Energy, Dr. Christian Bruch; the CEO of Siemens Africa, Nadia Haakansson, and the CEO of Siemens Nigeria, Seun Suleiman to the President ought to lay those doubts to rest.
“But what we find interesting enough to bring to the notice of our fellow Nigerians from that meeting is the German company’s assurance to fast track the delivery of the project which was slowed down by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“So from all indications, the first phase of the 25,000-megawatt project which is to deliver a capacity improvement of 2,000 megawatts is to be completed before May next year with the installation of 10 transformers and 10 mobile substations across the country.
“This will effectively move the nation’s capacity from about 4,000 to 7,000 megawatts in the first instance.
“It is also worth noting that Siemens also promised that the forthcoming general election would have no effect on the power initiative, including the training of 5,000 Nigerian engineers”, the statement added.
BMO noted that the time President Buhari leaves office, the first phase of the project would have been completed.
“It is good to know that by the time the President is completing his final term in office, the first of the three phases of the Siemens project would have been completed.
“What this means is that the incoming administration would not have to concern itself with solving a problem that three previous Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) administrations could not find a solution to, after spending over $16bn.
“And by the time the project would be completed, possibly by 2026 or 2027, there is no way President Buhari would not be singled out for praise long after he would have left office.
“We are also not unaware of how an opposition presidential candidate gave the impression that the Siemens project was stalled, and had at a point misled Nigerians in the diaspora about the true situation of things.
“But we hope that the recent visit of top officials of Siemens Energy and their publicly declared commitment to seeing the project through has again shown the extent the opposition is ready to go to cast the All Progressives Congress APC-led Buhari administration in a bad light”.
BMO added that aside from President Buhari, Nigerians would not forget the role played by his first Chief of Staff, the late Abba Kyari in sealing the deal to modernize the national grid.
