LONG-SUFFERING Nigerians, who may have been coaxed into believing that a significant improvement in power supply levels awaits them this year, cannot but be dismayed at the persistently poor output of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria. In spite of claims by government officials of improved electricity supply across the country, the reality on the ground is that very little has changed in the lives of Nigerians, who still have to depend heavily on standby generators as their primary source of electricity. Companies that had long given up on public power supply, because of its erratic nature, continue to invest heavily in alternative sources of power to keep their production lines running in a very difficult business environment created by acute shortage of electricity. Everyone still has to cope with frequent and prolonged power cuts with serious implications for the social and economic lives of the people.
Rather than witness any improvement, as promised, information obtained from official sources have contradicted the government’s claims of improved service delivery by the troubled public utility, the PHCN, which has a monopoly of electricity supply in the country. For instance, official records showed recently that power generation capacity suffered a significant decline from an all-time high of 4,517 megawatts recorded last December to a miserable level of about 3,300 megawatts in the middle of April. What a shame for a country aspiring to be among the top 20 largest economies in the world.
For an aspiring economic power, with an estimated population of close to 170 million people, flaunting a generating capacity of 4,517 megawatts shows a lack of ambition. When compared to countries with similar population size and economy, the Nigerian story is laughable. The appalling situation is worsened when the paltry generation capacity cannot even be sustained or be improved upon.
The dip in power generation to 3,300 megawatts is a throw-back to the level of 1999, when Nigeria made the switch from military dictatorship to democratic rule. Within the period in question, the government has reportedly thrown well over $20 billion at the electricity problem with very little to show for it. Given the current situation, these are valuable resources gone down the drain.
Just as in previous cases, the current drop in power generation has been attributed to system collapse; this should not come as a surprise. While the government seems to have been preoccupied with increasing the country’s power generation capacity, very little attention has been paid over the years to the transmission aspect. The point has often been made that, if the transmission capacity remains at its current level, no amount of gains made in power generation will translate into improved service delivery. Most of what is generated will either end up as waste or lead to system collapse, once the transmission capacity is overloaded.
Last year alone, the country suffered a total of 24 system failures, out of which 15 were total collapses. According to figures released by the PHCN National Control Centre in Osogbo, Nigeria has recorded 124 system failures in the past four years. Worsening conditions have been traced to reliance on obsolete equipment in the face of a rapidly expanding population and urbanisation.
Evidently, at the root of the failure to effectively tackle Nigeria’s power crisis is massive corruption, coupled with the lack of political will, which has prevented the government from taking the right decisions that should produce the desired results. Since 2005, when the Electricity Power Sector Reform bill was passed into law – primarily to hand over the ownership or management of PHCN to the private sector – the government has still not successfully privatised the sector. Only recently did the government muster the courage to sell some of the 18 companies into which PHCN was subdivided in 2005. And even the exercise has seen the companies going into wrong hands. Most have been sold to companies with virtually no antecedents in electricity business, thus paving the way for failure even before they commence operations.
The Power Minister, Chinedu Nebo, was recently quoted as saying that a $100 million facility had been obtained from the African Development Bank to improve the transmission capacity. It is however curious that $100 million is now expected to achieve what tens of billions of dollars could not achieve.
Be that as it may, it is still heartening that the government has suddenly realised the importance of tackling the transmission problem. What should be of utmost importance is making prepaid meters available to Nigerians. It is sad that close to a decade after the concept of prepaid meters was introduced, the majority of Nigerians still have to bear the burden of arbitrariness called “estimated billing.” Under this system, customers are made to pay huge amounts as electricity bills, and they are supposed to pay even if they have not enjoyed the services of PHCN for a few seconds in a whole month.
The government need not be reminded of the importance of electricity to the economy. With the unemployment rate close to 30 per cent and industrial capacity utilisation at below 30 per cent, the government knows that only stable electricity supply can take the economy out of the woods. Nebo must therefore find the political will to put an end to the country’s electricity crisis.
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Corruption affects everything in Nigeria. The sad thing is that majority of Nigerians are involved in it. Nigerians that are enjoying corrupt practices do not recognise any problem in the system.
ReplyDeleteNigerians work in PHCN. Many people thought NEPA was failing hence the change of name to PHCN. The old problem remains. A case of old wine in a new bottle. Nigerians change your corrupt ways so that the country can move forward.
As churches and mosque are increasing in Nigeria, so is corruption and corrupt practices.
Many family members are profiting from kidnapping their very own relatives. Some family members kill themselves over money. Some gate keepers and house helps support criminal outsiders to commit fraud, murder, stealing, etc. Some employers employ people to work without pay. Police collect bribe. Civil servants sell forms that are supposed to be given out freely.
Where are the true Christians and Moslems?
Everybody stop corruption! Stop supporting corruption and corrupt behaviour. STOP!
when the head stinks the body also stinks. It will only take a conscientious man to lead naija and anyoda country likewise. Real muslims and xtians have a calling to attain seats of position and values in order to use it 4 d better f d country. Stand up nigerians!!!
ReplyDeleteDeacon Bukat
my dear friend at 9.16am,you have written well but let me add that many of the problems you see within Nigeria among the ordinary citizens have come as a result of the failure of our leaders.
ReplyDeleteWhen the top fails to put things in order especially Basic things that one needs to have to just say "i am a living human being on Earth" then what comes after is all sorts of immoral behaviours and traits among people for survival.I am not saying the streets will be free of crimes if we had Good leaders in Nigeria,but believe me,the crime rates you mentioned will be at the minimal level or at least not as high.Take a look at countries with lower crime rates like the developed countries,you will notice first that their leaders are working maybe not to expectations of their citizens but they are working tirelessly and getting results.You cannot totally blame a collection of people for corruption because if there were laws guiding those people properly a much higher percentage of the people will shun corruption because of the wrath of the law.Here in Nigeria,our leaders have collapsed the Judiciary so badly and i tell you if the Judiciary in Nigeria is Not heavily strengthened,nothing will ever work.People need to be punished for laws they have broken through a strong judiciary system while even the Good governance is in Place but sadly we do not have both in Nigeria.
Our only hope is this democracy.If we can voice out together as a people and choose leaders that are learned and will give power back to the judiciary because of their integrity, their low tolerance for corruption and believe that no man should be above the law.people who really have our interest at heart as a country,then it is a first step.Believe me,a lot of Nigerians especially the common man aren't as corrupt.they are only a product of what our leaders made of them.It is the leaders that moulds the society creating samples of how people should live at every sector of the society they govern.In turn the people will follow suit only maybe for a few that will eventually face the wrath of the law through the good judiciary system in Place!. It is easier to tackle the problem this way than to just sit and pray every man in Nigeria shuns corruption!