… prioritizes local contractors under ‘Nigeria First’ policy

Oredola Adeola

The Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, has directed the training of at least 1,200 electrical engineers over the next decade and emphasized the prioritization of local contractors in line with the Federal Executive Council’s “Nigeria First” procurement policy.

Adelabu made this disclosure in his address at the opening ceremony of the management retreat of the Ministry of Power, themed ‘Development of Ministerial Performance Management System (MPMS) for 2025’, in Abuja on Tuesday.

He warned staff of the Ministry that President Bola Tinubu’s administration would not tolerate excuses in delivering stable power to households and businesses, calling the sector’s revival “non-negotiable” for economic survival.

The Minister’s declaration followed Monday’s Federal Executive Council (FEC) approval of a sweeping roadmap to reverse decades of infrastructure decay in the country, despite the country’s vast energy resources.

The executive order, it would be recalled, compelled ministries and agencies to award contracts to local firms and invest in home-grown expertise will soon be rolled out by President Tinubu.

“We cannot keep outsourcing our future,” Adelabu declared, citing a critical shortage of skilled professionals.

“In 10 years, we must replace the lost generation of engineers”.

“Mr. President, on Monday, touched on the importance of the local content and an Executive Order is being drafted and will soon be released.

“It emphasizes the need to look inward in everything we do, particularly in contract awards. We must key into this in our local capacity building, in our resources and personnel.

“We must be intentional in our local capacity development. There is a dearth of good hands in the sector. Steps must be taken to ensure that this trend is reversed.

Adelabu further explained that within the next 10 years, the Ministry of Power must have at least 1,200 electrical engineers trained in the sector, to replace the lost professionals.

“Let us be honest with ourselves during this retreat so that there will be positive results. Let us be practical and not dwell on theories”, he charged them.

Adelabu further acknowledged recent gains in grid stability since January 2025 but demanded faster progress, revealing that all ministry performance will now face quarterly scrutiny by the presidential monitoring unit.

“When you’re performing, don’t listen to negativity, show Nigerians the evidence,” he urged staff, while admitting the public remains skeptical after years of unfulfilled promises.

“In line with the renewed hope agenda of President Bola Tinubu, we’ve been given a clear mandate to deliver results which is being monitored, evaluated, and reported quarterly by the Central Delivery Coordination Unit to Mr. President.

“As a Ministry, we must not only align with that vision, but we must also lead the way as the success of our sector is vital for the success of every segment of the economy”, he said.

“I am proud of the achievements that we have recorded in the past one and half years. Achievements in generation, in transmission and in distribution. Since January this year to date, there has been stability, particularly in the grid.

“This is as a result of teamwork and consistency in our effort to deliver on our mandate. When you are performing, just go on with your work and don’t listen to negative comments”, he said, as he admonished them to always showcase their achievements to the general public to see.

Speaking earlier, Mahmuda Mamman, Permanent Secretary, in his remark, echoed the urgency, linking staff promotions to measurable outcomes and warning that “citizens will judge us by their meter readings, not our PowerPoints.”

He admonished the staff to use the retreat to improve their strategy as he charged them on the need for accountability and capacity building.