Jonathan promises Nigerians 18 hour power supply in 2014

President Goodluck Jonathan has said that Nigerians
will witness unprecedented growth in electricity
supply in the country, even as his administration
invests $1.5 billion for the upgrade of electricity
transmission in the country.
The President made the remarks in his New Year
message to Nigerians. He said, "In 2014, we will
continue to prioritize investments in key sectors such
as infrastructure development, power, roads, rail
transportation and aviation. In the past year, the
Federal Government completed the privatization of
four power generation companies and 10 power
distribution companies. We are also in the process of
privatizing 10 power plants under the National
Integrated Power Projects (NIPP).
We shall boost investments in transmission to ensure
power generated is properly evacuated and
distributed. In this regard, we have already mobilized
an additional $1.5 billion for the upgrade of the
transmission network in 2014 and beyond.
Government will also strengthen regulation of the
sector, and closely monitor electricity delivery to
increase this beyond 18 hours per day. We will
complete the privatization of the NIPP projects,
accelerate work on our gas pipeline infrastructure
and also continue to invest in hydro-electric power
and clean energy as we monitor the effects of climate
change on our economy."
Speaking on the milestones of his administration,
President Jonathan listed improvements in
education, agriculture and manufacturing.
He said, "I am pleased to note that as a result of our
backward integration policies, Nigeria has moved
from a country that produced 2 million metric tonnes
of cement in 2002, to a country that now has a
capacity of 28.5 million metric tonnes. For the first
time in our history, we have moved from being a net
importer of cement to a net exporter. Foreign direct
investment into Nigeria has also been strong. In fact,
for the second year running, the UN Conference on
Trade and Development has named Nigeria as the
number 1 destination for investments in Africa.
"We are witnessing a revolution in the agricultural
sector and the results are evident.We have tackled
corruption in the input distribution system as many
farmers now obtain their fertilizers and seeds directly
through an e-wallet system. In 2013, 4.2 million
farmers received subsidized inputs via this
programme. This scheme has restored dignity to our
farmers.
"Last year we produced over 8 million metric tonnes
of additional food; and this year, inflation fell to its
lowest level since 2008 partly due to higher domestic
food production. Our food import bill has also
reduced from N1.1 trillion in 2011, to N648 billion in
2012, placing Nigeria firmly on the path to food self-
sufficiency."
The President said budgetary allocations to education
had tripled between 2007 and 2013.
He said, "Between 2007 and 2013, we have almost
tripled the allocation for education from N224 billion
to N634 billion – and we will continue to vigorously
support the sector. We have improved access to
education in the country with the construction of 125
Almajiri schools, and the establishment of three
additional Federal Universities in the North, bringing
to twelve, the number of universities established by
this administration."