The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN), has pledged the commitment of the Federal government to ease the process of doing business in Nigeria.
Fashola made the pledge on Saturday in Kano, during a tour of electrification project in Sabon Gari Market being executed by a private firm – Sabon Gari Energy.
He said that the commitment to promote ease of doing businesses was because small and medium scale businesses were the major drivers of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
The minister said Sabon Gari Energy project is critical because power is being generated and delivered to traders in the market without a grid system.
He said the project has increased traders’ access to power, adding that instead of waiting for transmission grid, energy is being generated and consumed in the market.
“We have seen the control room, where the energy comes, the solar panel, where solar energy is being converted into alternating current electricity.
“About 3,000 out of the 12,000 shops have signed a contract to be connected and about 500 have been connected and the last section of the market is being wired.
“As the wiring continues, it is also creating employment in the procurement, manufacture, sale and installation.
“About 120 technicians have been employed. What this means is that opportunities are coming and this is what our government is all about,” he said.
According to him, from one of the customers we spoke to, he was spending about N2,000 a week on five hours electricity, but now he is getting 10 hours for half of that price.
He said that money would be saved in the process, adding that the expectation would be that the saved money would be transferred to goods and services to reduce prices.
The minister said the project is being executed by the Federal government in partnership with the Kano State government through the Rural Electrification Agency.
Fashola said plans have been concluded to extend a similar project to Ariaria Market in Aba, Shomolu printing business district in Lagos and the Sura Market, also in Lagos.
He said the new projects would be executed before the end of the year, adding that the idea is to move away from the theory of electricity to the practice and realities.
At the National Housing Programme site in Kano, Fasola said similar pilot housing programme is being replicated in 33 states of the Federation.
The minister said the idea is to see how Nigerians would react to the programme in terms of acceptability and affordability before rolling out mass housing programme.
He said the decision to start with a pilot programme was informed by the empty house found in most parts of the country.
He said the concern of the Federal government in construction infrastructure followed the number employment created in construction sites.