The federal executive council (FEC) has approved the sum of N3.4 billion for the restoration of the power supply in Borno. Abubakar Aliyu, minister of power disclosed recently while speaking with journalists after the council’s meeting, presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari.

According to the minister, the council authorized the provision of an alternative power supply line to Maiduguri. He mentioned that the insurgency had caused the area to be cut off from the national grid for 24 months.

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Remarks on the project to restore the power supply in Borno

He said, “As you are aware, rebel activity caused Maiduguri to be cut off from the national grid. They haven’t been connected for more than a year. We were able to feed Maiduguri through an old line that we revived with the help of the Transmission Company of Nigeria and the Borno state government’s rural electrification agency around nine months ago or so. They revived a single 33 KV line from Damaturu in Yobe state. And we drew a very limited amount of electricity through that, which could only supply electricity on the 11KV line.”

“As a result, we are currently attempting to supply through a second new line, a double circuit 33 KV line. That has a capacity of up to 40 Megawatts from the Damaturu 330 substation. This is awarded to SodoGuru Nigeria Limited at a cost of N3.4 billion. With a three-month completion period, plus N250 million for security and other logistics,” he added.

In addition to restoring the power supply in Borno, Aliyu revealed that $23.9m had been sanctioned for the construction of power substations in Zing, Taraba, and Gaidam, Yobe state. A 22-kilometer transmission line that runs through Birnin Kudu-Missau-Ningi-Azare in Jigawa and Bauchi as well as Birnin Kudu, Babura, and Kazaure in Jigawa state, Nguru in Yobe, and Oro in Kwara were also approved for building by the ministry, according to him. Sambo, the minister of transportation, stated in a statement, that the ministry received permission for the four memos it offered.