Buhari meets private sector, promises regular power supply

He also promised to reform the power sector to ensure regular power supply.
Buhari told industrialists and business executives that he would encourage regular meetings with the sector if he becomes president. This he said was to enable government get first information from businessmen to advance business interests in the country.
He added that the regular meetings would be his approach to improve the economy, create jobs and restore the dignity of labour. He also shared with the business executives, the economic plans highlighted in the APC manifesto.
“Our policies for implementing our commitments will be governed by the highest consideration of how we create jobs,” he said, adding, “equipping and resourcing our security personnel, for example, will not be limited to provision of arms alone, but uniforms, boots and such paraphernalia, which are enormous opportunities for textile production, garment making and shoe making.
“Power supply is the minimum that we can seriously commit to in order to quickly galvanise the economy back into productivity. We agree with the privatisation of the power utilities by the present government but privatisation must go further to transmission.
“After the signing and hand-over ceremonies of the power assets, the real work of producing, transmitting and distributing power is really just the beginning. The reason why success seems elusive is that apart from the signing ceremony and handing over of the power assets, the hard work to connect the various parts of the power chain, supply gas, install transformers, complete substations has not been done.
“Our studies show that we will require no less than 200,000 trained personnel to support the initiative to provide power and light up Nigeria. This we will do effectively.”
Buhari further noted that there is already an initiative to build a refinery in Lagos.
“Our government will fully support this initiative because a local refinery means many things, like jobs provision locally, local fuel supply and national security, reduced importation, less demand for foreign exchange and strengthening of the naira,” he said.
He also said his government would concentrate on the roads and highways that link up Nigerian states, while state governments will be expected to connect their respective states to these highways by building the last mile connections.