In 2015, I wrote an article in this column titled, “Power failure- A fact of life in Nigeria.” The article was motivated by confusing figures in the public domain of electricity generating capacity of the ministry of power. That the immediate past government promised to give the nation 20, 000 MW of electricity by the year 2020 is an act of faith which policy makers are never tired of reiterating, while Nigerians are getting bored of hearing same. When government makes promises it shows that it has good intentions. But these promises are only kept when those in government have good character. With respect to electricity supply, government should not engage in extortionist policies that may bring about more agony in the society.
In a special interview recently granted by Otis Anyaeji, President and Chairman of Council of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), it was reported that “Nigeria as an industrial country needs more than 180,000 MW.”Experts believe that it is only when the electricity demand is known that government can invest to “provide at least one and half to two times the demand in terms of generation, transmission and distribution capabilities.” This is because with the best maintenance efforts, generation, transmission and distribution facilities may still be faulty. When installed capacity is twice what is demanded, there will be constant power supply even when there is equipment failure. The nation however, has an installed capacity of about 12,000 MW, while it cannot provide more than 5000MW of electricity. This shows that the nation has a long way to go in terms of electricity generation.
I agree with experts who say that “the government should restructure the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) by renaming it as the Nigerian Energy Regulatory Commission to accommodate electricity, gas, hydro and other sources of energy under it. I also align myself with the call that the NERC should have more engineers as commissioners. These propositions are made without prejudice to the competence of other professionals in the NERC.
What is being discussed in the power sector is mostly engineering and not only administration. Thus, engineering cannot be relegated to the background in matters concerning electricity generation, transmission and distribution. This is because Section 34 sub-sections 2(a) and (b), of the Electric Power Sector Reform Act 2005 which deals with appointment of commissioners says that commissioners are to be appointed from those who have experience in generation, transmission systems operations, distribution and marketing of electricity. The Act further says other people with background in law, accounting and administration are eligible. How many engineers do we have as commissioners in the NERC today?
In the past, Nigeria had the money and capacity to turn things round in the power sector but for almost 35 years much was not achieved. Most homes and firms are running their electric generating sets with attendant implications for cost, environmental pollution and disruption of production. This dire situation in a country with abundant gas and oil reserves is very heartrending.
Regarding the increase in tariffs by 40 percent for electricity consumed with effect from 01 February 2016, it was the statutory responsibility of NERC. Why increase tariff when services rendered to the public by the power companies are poor? Some commercial and residential consumers are grumbling under huge estimated bills coupled with incessant power outages, and lack of pre-paid meters amongst other problems.
The Nigerian Labor Congress (NLC) has expressed its displeasure regarding increase in electricity tariffs. Some have equally argued that the electricity tariffs Nigerians currently pay is not a true reflection of the market price. This was because in the past the government politicized the tariff for purely self-serving political reasons in order to gain popularity. I was happy when I read on 16 February that “Senate orders reversal of hike in electricity tariffs.”Consumers cannot be the ones to bear the brunt of inefficiency in the power sector for electricity not consumed.
If distribution companies (Discos) and generating companies (Gencos) need funds to improve their services, they should go public as convenient. Nigerians interested in taking the risk will buy into these business concerns. At the time of writing, it is reported that “distribution companies have failed to close 3 million meter gap.” The remaining consumers without meters should be issued pre-paid meters. This is imperative because it is illegal for government to bill electricity consumers without meter reading. It is also criminal for any consumer not to pay for the electricity consumed. As government holds on to the transmission, it should step up its acts so that most of the power generated can be accommodated by the national grid.
Although Babatunde Raji Fashola (BRF) was cited to have said: “people have been hearing for the past 20 years that power projects are over 99 percent completed. “As far as I am concerned” says BRF, “the ultimate thing is to get it to work.” Until when the work of BRF speaks for itself in the power sector, we will continue to live by faith. I pray that government complies with the reversal order irrespective arguments on the electricity tariffs. I can only wish BRF my best in his efforts to improve electricity supply to Nigerians. (Concluded)
(Please note that the name of the Minister for Power, Works and Housing was spelt wrongly in the last article as “Babande Fashola.” The error was inadvertently made and highly regretted. The correct name of the Minster is Babatunde Raji Fashola)
MA Johnson
