NIGERIA plans to spend 50bn naira (around $42m) next year to boost its epileptic power supply system, Power and Steel Minister Olusegun Agagu has said. The money will be used to improve generating, transmission and distribution capacity of the inefficient state-run electricity company NEPA, the minister said this week. He said 30 billion naira was approved in the current year for the Nigerian National Electric Power Authority (NEPA), and that government has increased next year’s spending to 50 billion naira to boost supply. Current power generation level is 2 500 megawatts as against 1 500 megawatts in June 1999. Power outages are widespread in Nigeria where most cities experience regular power failures daily. – AFP