On Tuesday, 22nd
May 2018, President Muhammadu Buhari while speaking to members of the Buhari
Support Organization (BSO) led by the Comptroller-General of Customs Col.
Hameed Ali who called on him at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, reechoed that the
erstwhile president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo expended about $16 billion on the
power project without anything to show for it.
It would be recalled that the said
allegation has been in the public sphere for over a decade now, though had been
strongly refuted by the accused person. Piqued
by the epileptic power situation, Late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, on
assumption of office in 2007, lamented that the government under Chief Obasanjo
squandered about $10 billion on the National Integrated Power Project (NIPP)
with little or no effect. He alleged that, on power sector alone, the administration
of the former president spent a total of $16bn.
Nevertheless, it was gathered that late
president Yar’Adua’s administration expended $5.375bn on power, whilst his
immediate successor Dr. Goodluck Jonathan spent $8.26 billion. In a nutshell,
the country, within the years in review, reportedly spent about a whopping sum
of $29.635bn only on a quest for steady power supply.
The bitter truth remains that Nigeria
has expended funds amounting to trillions of naira on the power sector within
the last nineteen years. But rather than dwelling on our failure, or
apportioning blames, it’s imperative for the country to henceforth concentrate
on the way forward.
The Nigeria’s power sector is presently
yearning for rescue that if drastic measure isn’t taken, soonest the country
won’t only reckoned to be synonymous with blackout but a place invariably used
as a case-study whenever non-electricity supply is being discussed.
It’s indeed worrisome to acknowledge
that in spite of the intimidating size of the acclaimed giant of Africa, both
in landmass and population, she’s currently struggling toward boasting of
steady seven thousand megawatts (7,000MW) of electricity supply, whereas
nations like Ghana, South-Africa, Iran, and South-Korea, among others alike,
that aren’t up to 60 million people on the average, presently boast of over
fifty thousand megawatts (50,000MW). Such a shocking phenomenon calls for
thorough and candid examination in the said sector.
During the past administrations, Chief
Obasanjo’s particularly, the Power Reform Act was introduced, which was aimed
at boosting electricity supply. In addition, the then existing National
Electric Power Authority (NEPA) was changed to Power Holding Company of Nigeria
(PHCN) owing to concession. In furtherance of the motive, the NIPP was equally
initiated.
It would be recalled that during Dr.
Jonathan’s reign, the distribution section/phase of the power sector was
totally deregulated, thereby leading to Public-Private Partnership (PPP); a
measure that Nigerians thought would salvage the power industry.
It’s worth noting that the power sector
comprises three major sections (phases) namely: the generation, transmission,
and distribution sections. These three phases collectively contribute to the
production of the two hundred and twenty Alternating-Current Voltage (AC220V)
required by electricity consumers in Nigeria.
Despite all these measures, rather
than improving, the country’s power sector remains in a comatose state, or even
deteriorates on a daily basis. The various distribution firms, instead of
concentrating on how to serve the teeming consumers, end up compounding the
already existing plight. At the moment, an electricity consumer in Nigeria,
regardless of locality, would be faced with a utility bill even though he never
enjoyed any power supply in the past; one might wonder where such bill was
fabricated.
The problem with the Nigerian power
sector remains lack of technical know-how cum initiative as well as decay in
maintenance culture. Most times, the personnel at the generation phase would
inform Nigerians that the supply of gasoline has depreciated due to pipeline
vandalism. Suchlike report is ridiculous and laughable in a country like ours
that can boast of so many sources of electricity generation in abundance.
Frankly, over-dependence on mono-source is really telling on the Nigerian
economy at large, not just in the power sector.
A few of the country’s mineral
resources alone, such as coal and what have you can generate enormous
electricity required by the overall Nigerians. Similarly, biomass and
wind-power, which are renewable and reliable energy sources – if properly
harnessed – can generate electricity that can serve the entire Nigerian
population. Biomass can either be used directly via combustion to produce heat,
or indirectly after converting it to various forms of biofuel. Its conversion
to biofuel can be achieved by different methods broadly classified into
chemical, thermal, and biochemical methods.
Besides, why is solar energy in
abeyance? Most western countries that cannot boast of a steady fifteen degree
Celsius (15*C) depend mainly on solar energy as regards power supply let alone
Nigeria that can steadily boast of over thirty degree Celsius (30*C). The
country abounds with the four energy sources mentioned so far; but
pathetically, the resources are lying fallow. The government needs to create an
industry that would produce the required facilities; the proposed approach
cannot be actualized without lifting embargo on PPP.
Above all, considering the ongoing
power generation via turbine or hydro-plants, there’s compelling need for the
government to decentralize the transmission grid. Rather than sustaining the
national grid, since it’s obvious that such sustenance is cumbersome, each
region or zone ought to be entitled to a transmission grid, thereby easing the
maintenance cost.
The aforementioned approach won’t
only reduce cost, but will equally boost adequate and uninterruptible power
supply across the federation. The private sector must also be given a room to
key in. The various established private transmission grids such as the Power
Geometrics situated in Aba, the commercial hub of Abia State invented by Prof.
Bart Nnaji and his team needs to be encouraged effectively.
As I urge the Buhari-led government to
extend hand of fellowship to the cognoscenti towards doing the needful, we must
take into cognizance that there ought to be a holistic probe into the dwindling
power sector. Think about it!
Comrade Fred Nwaozor
National Coordinator,
Right Thinkers Movement
___________________________
+2348028608056
Twitter:
@mediambassador
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