IT is a long time since President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua said a word about Nigeria’s low electricity supply, or even his electoral promise to declare an emergency on electricity within months of being in office.
Electricity is central to the existence of the modern society. Decades ago, it was one of the strongest factors that promoted the rural-urban drift as electricity epitomised the good life. Electricity remains the life wire of any economy and countries that have realised this, have sustainable energy policies that are religiously implemented.
Nigeria’s electricity supply is getting worse by the day and cannot support efforts at joining the information communication technology, ICT, which drives the world.
Attempts in the past 10 years to address the situation were just sloganeering. Government’s excuses were either the gas pipelines that supply feedstock to a thermal power station were vandalised, or the power transmission lines had been stolen. Sometimes water levels are too low for hydro power stations or systems collapse occurs. Excuses cannot improve anyone’s electricity supply.
Government’s response is sometimes comical. In 2000, the Federal Government announced the end of blackouts at a party to thank the Technical Committee on Power Supply on the great work it has done. Then, government regaled Nigerians with stories of increase in electricity generation and said the next areas for attention were transmission and distribution.
The situation today is bad enough to prompt the emergency on electricity that President Yar’Adua promised in 2007 as presidential candidate of the PDP.
Hundreds of billions of Naira has been spent on improving power supply, yet, it remains elusive. The National Integrated Power Project, NIPP, that would lead to the establishment of 10 new power stations across the country, is under way, but the bickering continues.
The Obasanjo administration commissioned the 480mw NNPC/Nigeria Agip Oil Company Okpai IPP in Delta State, in 2006, raising expectations that the addition to the national grid would improve power supply. It did not.
Egbin Thermal Power station, with 1320 mw capacity, is poorly maintained, ageing, and still has the challenges of gas supply. It performs way below capacity. The standard story from PHCN is that the pipelines supplying gas feedstock to the plant have been vandalised.
Cost of epileptic power supply to the economy can never be adequately summed up. Other consequences like noise pollution and poisonous fumes from generators and attendant health hazards are never considered. We hope the power project are completed soon.
The ambitions in Nigeria’s vision documents cannot be achieved without adequate electricity supply. Poor power supply causes poverty, debilitates the people’s potentials and creates extra costs for the implementation of social, economic and political programmes.
The challenges ahead are intimidating, but they have to be tackled. Nigeria has struggled for years to attain 6,000 megawatts of electricity. The Vision 2020 document states that Nigeria requires 60,000 megawatts of electricity to be among the world’s 20 top nations. It has less than 11 years to hit the target!
Even the bible has told us that righteousnes exalts a nation while sin is a reproach.i cant think of any nigerian politician who is a christian.also the bible told us that when the righteous rules, the people rejoice.so my fellow nigerians w’l continue to murmur until christains go up there.
It is good to know that this article is from the editorial board of a major news organization. Nigeria’s myraid problems will never get solved until major news outlets begin to lead the way in terms of information and education. The government is constantly taking Nigerians for granted because the news organizations and Nigerians are not making them accountable for their actions/inactions and their words. Vision 20/20 will come and go without anything done and those of us lucky to be alive will waite for vision 20/30.
The press should lead the way by making these corrupt politicians account for what they say to Nigerians. These corrupt leaders know that Nigerians are gullible and laid back so, they take advantage of the situation and say things that are false because nobody will hold them to it. Journalists and the so called (SAN) lawyers who are eager to defend criminals and corrupt money bags should have summit on how to lead Nigerians out of the mess that we find ourselves. Unless that is done, there is no future for the entire country because those aspiring to take over from these group are not any better than them.
All Nigerians who can read between the lines knew from day one that the Pres. Yar’Adua/PDP was not sincere in doing anything that will benefit ordinary Nigerians.
It is not a surprise now that the seven pointless agenda was a joke from day one. May God save Nigeria from PDP.
Deregulate Power supply and all electricity problems will be solved. People will be willing to pay N2000 or more monthly even if it is compulsory to have steady power supply. A minimum of N650 per night isbeing spent by families to buy fuel for generators to be able to sleep. Why wont they engage in dubious means to ensure this “steady power supply”? All economic activities depend on power. Government and the organised private sector are laying off staff rather than employing. People are despondent and life generally is comatose, uninteresting and hopeless. People can engage in vocations even as low as hair dressing/barbing, tailoring, vulcanising, food vending etc all of which depend on power supply. Even beer parlours go the extra mile to ensure they have fuel for their generators to ensure patronage. I suspect that there is an unholy and unwritten pact between beer producers and PHCN because once power goes off (which by the way is never on) people troop out to the nearest beer parlour to drink. This is destroying the whole society and reducing the productive capacities of the people. There is no point calling on government to provide electricity. THEY HAVE FAILED ON THAT AND IN MANY MORE. Therefore, electricity supply should be deregulated. Let companies with the capacity come in and provide the service on prepaid level. That way, people can buy as much electricity as they need just like buying airtime for their phones. That is the simple solution.
Help, PHCN Is holding residents of Abraham Adesanya Estate, Ajah-Lekki to ransom! The have deliberately been using all means since the begining of the year to deny the estate of power supply.
It`s only in Nigeria that electricity is more difficult than rocket science.just 12hrs regular supply of electricity will greatly transform our economy and peoples life not to talk of 24hrs uniterrupted supply of power.We all witnessed when telecommunication sector was deregulated and GSM came in to the country Nigeria became the world fastest growing telecoms market and we are still one of the world biggest telecom markets.The average Nigerian family get less than 2hrs of supply of power from PHCN daily and most of the needed electrical power is generated from generators most businesses run on constant generator supply.All we hear are stories of new additional plants,embezzlement,man one is just tired and it makes me wonder how can people be this wicked and greedy,steal money meant for national projects through false contracts.God please you should visit the same sufferings and pains on these wicked Nigerians that have rendered the rest improvished,Please answer this prayer the suffering in the land is too much,these national thieves dont care Amen.
The prayer is that God himself should come down to fix the present electricity problem in the Nigeria otherwise, don’t expect anything different. There is no government in Nigeria that will be able to fix power problem,unless the the military government like Idiagbon or Murtala in which case it is impossible to bring back those government. But if we are serious about giving energy to Nigerians, institute a task force comprising of these tested patrotic Nigerian like: Nuhu Ribadu, Dora Akunyili, Mallam el Rufai, Rtd Col. Umar, Oby Ezekwesili and Sanusi L. Sanusi (CBN Gov).I guarantee you there would unterrupted power supply in this country within two and half years.
I am glad that someone has brought this matter up again.
I have said it numeous times that the President Yar’Adua
cannot govern Nigeria well by burrying himself solemny in
Abuja and glued to wrong briefing of television addicted staff.
The President is he is supposed to be for Nigerians must
get-up, travel arround for first hand observer and communicate
with his subjects in their natural habitats. He must act as the
President of the People and not isolate himself from the masses.
Partially because President Yar’Adua’s residence is teated with
special supply of electricity, he is probably unaware that the rest
of Nigerians are in the dark . He is also probably unaware that
many factories have moved to Ghana because no member of his
family has complained about unemployment and the harsh realities
in Nigeria.
He must have equally forgotten his pledge to restore electricity in
Nigeria for a full capacity before the end of 2009. Thus, the President
is surrounded with “bad-adviser and favour-seekers.” The same group
who would be the first to write their memoirs in Aso Rock and spit on
the image of Yar’Adua immediately he is out of office. Choice is yours !
…Will Yardua come back again to promise declaration of emergency on electricity if elected for 2nd term? Yardua should step aside at the end of his first term. Why pretending to be religious when your people are living in poverty and all you care for is power? Please, if you contest for 2nd term Allah will purnish you and your collaborators making Nigerians live in poverty.
At times it useless writing and talking about Nigerian woes. They are so many and makes one at times wants to disown this country. You are talking to senators, house of representatives, ministers and other so called government officials who are only representing themselves. Who only find time to travel overseas to buy luxurious house, cars and other goods of life over there. They live in government houses where there is steady supply of light, free petrol and as many cars and drivers as possible even for their dogs. Why should they care about the sufferings of the common man, why should the common man enjoy the good things of life as they. What then will be the difference if there is steady light in the country. At times really it is useless shooting at the man in the moon.