Osinbajo not under pressure to resign -Presidency

*Says it is wicked rumor, as FEC approves new power contract for Ikorodu

Presidency, yesterday, rejected insinuation that acting President Yemi Osinbajo was being held hostage and under pressure to resign.

This is just as the Federal Executive Council, yesterday, approved new power contracts for Ikorodu in Lagos, saying that generations is now at 2,900MW

Speaking further on cause of current nationwide power shortage, FEC traced the problem on shortage of finance and behavioral attitudes of Nigerians

In a statement signed yesterday by the Special Adviser to the president on Political Affairs, Femi Ojudu, Presidency declared that there were no truth, whatsoever, in speculations that the acting president is being held hostage by some governors, who were alleged to have demanded his resignation from office.

The Presidential aide, who said his office has been inundated with several calls over the issue, said the acting president has been carrying out his duties without pressures

“I have equally received several calls regarding this. The story is simply not true. It is a fabrication. Don’t be a purveyor of fake news,” he said.

The statement, which was titled, “State of the Nation,” was used by the presidential aide to assure Nigerians that Osinbajo was behind his desk in his office and performing his routine functions, having earlier presided over a meeting of the Federal Executive Council (FEC).

The Acting President yesterday in line with tradition had presided over the meeting of the Federal Executive Council.

Ojodu said the claim was ridiculous and urged people to desist from carrying fake news, adding, “I have read many ridiculous stories saying Vice President Prof Yemi Osinbajo is being held hostage by some governors, who are trying to compel him to resign.

“The vice president is behind his desk carrying out his task. The federal executive council presided over by him has just ended and he has been busy receiving visitors and holding meetings.”

“The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, said Nigeria’s power generation has risen to 2,900 megawatts after the system collapse that left parts of the country in darkness.”

He explained that challenges hampering the growth of the country’s power sector are mostly financial and not technical.

Briefing State House Correspondents after a meeting of the FEC, he blamed the situation on lack of payment to gas suppliers, sabotage and shut down of oil terminals.

He added: “What then happens on the grid is that once it goes below 3,000mw, it becomes unstable. It is like in your house when you have surges and your circuit breakers trip to protect the system. So, once it falls below a certain threshold, you then have those trip-offs.

“These are in a sense almost necessary to protect the entire system,” he said, disclosing that while attempts were on to restart Afam Power Station in Lagos last week, there was an outbreak of fire just as it also happened in Kainji.

He said unless people change their negative attitude towards power infrastructure, the problem of poor power supply may persist.

According to him, “while we were trying to start last week, we had a fire in Afam and that affected the control room and these are normal engineering accidents that can happen. The mechanical parts can break down.

“We also had another fire in Kainji. We have tried to repair them over the last weekend while negotiations with the gas companies are ongoing.

“I have been meeting with the gas suppliers, trying to see how we can pay off some of these debts whilst fix other problems.

“As I continue to say, it is not technical but financial. Vandalism of pipelines is not technical. People are destroying, they are hungry.

“Until we resolve these behavorial issues, people collect money…are they remitting everything in a manner that is fair even if it is not enough?

“Some people hold up their own share and they ask themselves why should we continue to supply if we can’t get paid because there are bankers and financiers?

“So, we are talking with everybody trying to resolve it.”

The minister said FEC approved the sum of N274.3million increase for the contract to complete Odogiyan transmission substation in Ikorodu, Lagos, which was initially awarded in 2009 at the cost of N3.225billion.