Senate President Ahmad Lawan says the country is losing $29
billion annually because of a lack of stable power supply.
The claim, which Lawan ascribed to unknown “authorities”,
has not been confirmed by TheCable.
Speaking at a public hearing, ‘Power Sector Recovery Plan
and the impact of COVID-19 Pandemic’, on Monday, the senate president asked the
senate’s power committee to investigate how the sector was privatised.
He said the government should not be giving money to the
distribution companies (DisCos) and if there is a need to provide funds for
them it should pass through the national assembly.
“Some authorities say we lose about 29 billion dollars every
year because of lack of sufficient and stable power. That is equivalent to what
our people are supposed to earn.
“The purpose of privatisation, just to remind us, is not for
the government to wash away his hand, to run away from responsibilities. It’s
an admission by the government that, first, it doesn’t have the resources
required to move this sector forward.
“Government should not be giving free money, N1.8 trillion
has been given to DisCos maybe in their books. The actual money might have been
given to the GenCos, N1.8 trillion is a huge amount of money.
“Is it part of the Share Purchase Agreement that we should
be given this kind of money or what are we supposed to do as a government? What
is our obligation?
“Government cannot afford to just spend money that you
hardly understand why it is given and I will advise the Executive here, next
time, if there will be any next time, to give such money, bring it to the
national assembly for approval.”
Lawan said the privatisation of the power sector should be
reviewed.
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