The Presidency says that Nigeria exports power to neighbouring countries in order to prevent the damming of water that feeds the country’s major power plants.
Reacting to local media reports on Monday that Nigerian has continued to export electricity to other countries on credit while blackouts persist within its borders, the Senior Special Assistant to the Nigerian president on media and publicity, Mr. Garba Shehu, described the report as “hyperbolic and terribly misleading”.
He said that the reported credit figures were “far from accurate, out-dated and therefore not reflective of the current reality”.
Shehu added that over 90 percent of the electricity generated in the country was distributed and consumed by Nigerians and that as of the last review in 2019, the amount of credit extended to Niger, Benin, and Togo stood at $69 million.
Nigeria dammed the River Niger at Kianji in Niger State for power generation in 1968. The water from the river also feeds the dams that power the Jebba and Shiroro power plants. It is gathered that the export of power to neighbouring countries was to prevent any further damming of the River Niger for power generation.
GIK/APA