When PHCN was privatised and unbundled into smaller companies, we were very happy and very optimistic that electricity supply will improve and blackout will be a thing of the past in our Country. How wrong were we.
Even the President had a comment or two on the terrible electricity situation in the Country in his last media chat . On the poor electricity supply across the country:
“We are looking for funds for the gas sector. We want to see how we can get funds to invest in the sector.
“Though the private sector is interested, but in terms of these investments, the government should also play a key role.
“The major problem we have is the issue of gas. The power generating plants we have do not have enough gas, thereby, those that want to expand, can not expand because of gas limitation.
“The second one is in the issue of distribution. We are looking for money, through loan agreement to ensure that all houses are metered. But the private sector (companies) that bought these DISCOS are supposed to invest in metering these houses, but most of them borrowed money, even to buy these assets, to go and borrow another money is now becoming a problem.”
“We are now looking on how to get them meters, because people will pay back, since these meters ordinarily, are supposed to belong to the consumers.”
“How do we get the money? I think the World Bank, the African Development Bank or some other multinational agencies are willing to support us.”
“I can promise that it will get better, if it is not now, because of these challenges that we have, but we will surely improve on it, it will never get worse than this"
Very well said if you ask me but what do we as consumers do in the meantime while waiting for both the Government and the new investors to get their acts together for uninterrupted power supply?
The Federal Government, admitted that the privatisation exercise in the first instance was flawed and it had set up a committee called Power Investors’ Committee, to look at the challenges and proffer immediate solutions on the power sector.
I don't know why this Government likes committee so much. Everything they do is setting up Committee, someone is dead, committee, girls are kidnapped, committee, building collapsed, Committee, bad roads, committee.
Unfortunately, the committees don't always solve the problems or even recommend workable solutions. I remember during Yar adua government, a committee was set up on this same power problem to go round the Country and to determine how much the former President Obasanjo spent on Power reforms. Till date nothing has been heard on the findings of the Committee. Even the one that Ndudi Elumelu and his colleagues in the House of Assembly and the Senate did only earn them jail terms.
All we want is for these committees to guarantee effective performance of theses companies for the benefit of Nigerians. We are tired of Blackout, darkness or whatever this forever no electricity light is called.
The new owners of these electricity companies popularly called DISCO, should seek financial aid and get to work if they want Nigerians to take them seriously.
I see no reason why we get high or crazy bills as we prefer to call the bills we get monthly from them and yet burn generators 247. Nigerians cannot continue like this. Financially we are drained and health-wise, the fumes from these generators are killing people.
The Federal Government, admitted that the privatisation exercise in the first instance was flawed and it had set up a committee called Power Investors’ Committee, to look at the challenges and proffer immediate solutions on the power sector.
I don't know why this Government likes committee so much. Everything they do is setting up Committee, someone is dead, committee, girls are kidnapped, committee, building collapsed, Committee, bad roads, committee.
Unfortunately, the committees don't always solve the problems or even recommend workable solutions. I remember during Yar adua government, a committee was set up on this same power problem to go round the Country and to determine how much the former President Obasanjo spent on Power reforms. Till date nothing has been heard on the findings of the Committee. Even the one that Ndudi Elumelu and his colleagues in the House of Assembly and the Senate did only earn them jail terms.
All we want is for these committees to guarantee effective performance of theses companies for the benefit of Nigerians. We are tired of Blackout, darkness or whatever this forever no electricity light is called.
The new owners of these electricity companies popularly called DISCO, should seek financial aid and get to work if they want Nigerians to take them seriously.
I see no reason why we get high or crazy bills as we prefer to call the bills we get monthly from them and yet burn generators 247. Nigerians cannot continue like this. Financially we are drained and health-wise, the fumes from these generators are killing people.
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