AS NIGERIA’S EPILEPTIC POWER SUPPLY HAS CONTINUED TO YEARLY BLEED THE NATION’S RESOURCES AND ITS PEOPLE – WHAT IS THE BUHARI-LED ADMINISTRATION DOING TO ADDRESS THIS UGLY PERSISTENT PROBLEM
July 5, 2021 | News
When I recently saw reports that, despite various interventions by the President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government to improve the power supply in the country, a recently released World Bank report has revealed that annually, Nigeria’s economy still losses between N7 to N10 trillion to the epileptic power supply in the country;
-By Zik Gbemre
AS NIGERIA’S EPILEPTIC POWER SUPPLY HAS CONTINUED TO YEARLY BLEED THE NATION’S RESOURCES AND ITS PEOPLE – WHAT IS THE BUHARI-LED ADMINISTRATION DOING TO ADDRESS THIS UGLY PERSISTENT PROBLEM?
Nigeria’s economy still losses between N7 to N10 trillion to the epileptic power supply in the country – World Bank report…
Substandard Infrastructure, Operational Inefficiencies, lack of Will by the Federal Government, are amongst the top reasons for the massive financial and economic losses concerning the power sector…
Considering the importance of a nation having reliable power supply, especially for the growth of MSMEs, improved living standard, etc., one would have thought that the Buhari-led administration should have aggressively addressed the epileptic power supply situation from when it came on board… But under this government, the power supply situation has gone from bad to worse…
If only the Buhari-led Government can address the nation’s epileptic power situation, their names will be written in gold in the country’s history…
When I recently saw reports that, despite various interventions by the President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government to improve the power supply in the country, a recently released World Bank report has revealed that annually, Nigeria’s economy still losses between N7 to N10 trillion to the epileptic power supply in the country; I could not help but wonder in disbelief of the fact that this government would be nonchalant all these years towards the nation’s power supply problems. The said World Bank report noted that the total sum represents 5-7 per cent of the Nigeria’s GDP. That should make any sensible and people-oriented Government to be concerned about such a problem, and how they must act fast to reverse the situation.
According to the said World Bank report titled: Resilience through Reforms, it states that due to unreliable and insufficient electricity supply, businesses and wealthy homes depend mostly on generating sets. It said the over 22 million gasoline generators in Nigeria, power about 26 per cent of all households, and 30 per cent of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), while their net capacity is eight times more than that of the national grid.
These challenges, according to the World Bank report, are due to SUBSTANDARD INFRASTRUCTURE, thus stressing the urgent need to improve and expand the network to improve the quality of supply. Also, it identifies OPERATIONAL INEFFICIENCIES in the system as the cause of the massive financial, as well as economic losses. In view of this, the body stressed the need for a holistic approach that integrates comprehensive measures to address Nigeria’s power problems sustainably.
It was only recently, that I drew our attention to a cropped picture online that has all the past and present political leaders of the Federal Republic of Nigeria from 1960 to date, with the caption: “Wasted Generation. Ordinary Electricity, they cannot fix in 60 years.” While the said caption might be seen as a bit too hard and harsh, but sadly, that has been the stark reality facing the Nigerian society since it gained independence.
One would have expected that by now, considering the importance of power supply, which cannot be over emphasized for any modern society to thrive economically; successive Nigerian Governments would have been able to do whatever that needed to be done to address the nation’s power supply sector. For when there is more power, there will be more employment opportunities income, high life expectancy, and better conditions/quality of life. Power generation is like the engine, the heart beat for industrial growth and the key for enhanced economic activities of any nation. We cannot move forward or do anything without constant uninterrupted power supply. But it has been over 60 years, and that has not happened, despite all the funds said to have been poured into the sector.
The sad part is that those who are close to President Buhari, especially in the last Six years, have not been telling him the truth about the power situation in the country and how the situation has gone from bad to worse, particularly in the area of Power Distribution. The country’s power distribution infrastructure is in total mess, that it will only take a Government with the WILL and determination to address it head-on. While we are aware that Power Generation and Transmission in the country still need to be improved upon, however, it is imperative to note that the Power Distribution aspect is where the major problems are. And the Power Distribution Companies (DISCOS) are not helping matters with their gross incompetence, lack of capacity, capability and the wherewithal to address the many issues in that sector of power supply.
The most annoying aspect about all of this is the fact that Nigeria is blessed beyond measure with the natural resources and wherewithal to transform the nation’s power sector which has been ‘GENERATOR-DRIVEN’ for years, into what it ought to be. Even when suggestions are brought forward by relevant stakeholders and concerned Nigerians, on ways to address the nation’s power supply problem, our Nigerian Government Officials concerned have formed the habit of turning deaf ears, and not telling Mr. President the basic truth about the worsening power supply situation in the country.
We cannot move forward or do anything without constant uninterrupted power supply. For instance, the Micro, Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (MSMEs) cannot survive without steady power supply. To encourage the MSMEs, there is need for the government to provide the necessary infrastructure, and no economy can grow without the MSMEs. This sector provides a greater number of employments in any economy, and that includes Nigeria. There are millions of Commercial Enterprises operating in the country and this includes: Barber Shops, Hair Dressing Salons, Boutiques, Block molding factories, Recording Studies, Dry Cleaning Services, Night Clubs, Casinos, Welders (iron fabricators), Restaurants, Corporate offices, etc, all of which, are utilizing an average of eight liters of petrol per day on different capacity of generator sets. This translates to millions of litters of petrol per day, billions of liters of petrol per month and per annum. And with the current fuel price of N162 - N165, we can imagine how much we spend as a nation on this area. This does not include the cost of oil change, spare parts and general maintenance of the generator sets.
The amount of money people spends daily in fueling and maintaining their generators cannot be comprehended. Nobody will be happy to pay electricity bills to DISCOS in the current power supply situation in the country, especially with the increase in tariff for power supply. Since the Buhari-led Government came on board, I have written several letters to the Presidency and relevant Federal Government Authorities, admonishing them on the fact that: IF THE POWER SUPPLY PROBLEM IS THE ONLY PROBLEM THE PRESIDENT BUHARI GOVERNMENT CAN HOLISTICALLY ADDRESS WITHIN THE YEARS IT HAS TO STAY IN OFFICE, THEN THEIR NAMES WILL BE WRITTEN IN GOLD IN THE COUNTRY’S HISTORY, AND NIGERIANS WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER HIM AND BE GRATEFUL FOR IT. But alas, it is as if our advice is like pouring water on a stone. However, I still believe something can be done within the remaining few years of this administration, in addressing the nation’s power supply problems. All it will take is the President’s Will and determination to do so.
Zik Gbemre.
July 5, 2021
We Mobilize Others To Fight For Individual Causes As If Those Were Our Causes
-By Zik Gbemre
AS NIGERIA’S EPILEPTIC POWER SUPPLY HAS CONTINUED TO YEARLY BLEED THE NATION’S RESOURCES AND ITS PEOPLE – WHAT IS THE BUHARI-LED ADMINISTRATION DOING TO ADDRESS THIS UGLY PERSISTENT PROBLEM?
Nigeria’s economy still losses between N7 to N10 trillion to the epileptic power supply in the country – World Bank report…
Substandard Infrastructure, Operational Inefficiencies, lack of Will by the Federal Government, are amongst the top reasons for the massive financial and economic losses concerning the power sector…
Considering the importance of a nation having reliable power supply, especially for the growth of MSMEs, improved living standard, etc., one would have thought that the Buhari-led administration should have aggressively addressed the epileptic power supply situation from when it came on board… But under this government, the power supply situation has gone from bad to worse…
If only the Buhari-led Government can address the nation’s epileptic power situation, their names will be written in gold in the country’s history…
When I recently saw reports that, despite various interventions by the President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government to improve the power supply in the country, a recently released World Bank report has revealed that annually, Nigeria’s economy still losses between N7 to N10 trillion to the epileptic power supply in the country; I could not help but wonder in disbelief of the fact that this government would be nonchalant all these years towards the nation’s power supply problems. The said World Bank report noted that the total sum represents 5-7 per cent of the Nigeria’s GDP. That should make any sensible and people-oriented Government to be concerned about such a problem, and how they must act fast to reverse the situation.
According to the said World Bank report titled: Resilience through Reforms, it states that due to unreliable and insufficient electricity supply, businesses and wealthy homes depend mostly on generating sets. It said the over 22 million gasoline generators in Nigeria, power about 26 per cent of all households, and 30 per cent of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), while their net capacity is eight times more than that of the national grid.
These challenges, according to the World Bank report, are due to SUBSTANDARD INFRASTRUCTURE, thus stressing the urgent need to improve and expand the network to improve the quality of supply. Also, it identifies OPERATIONAL INEFFICIENCIES in the system as the cause of the massive financial, as well as economic losses. In view of this, the body stressed the need for a holistic approach that integrates comprehensive measures to address Nigeria’s power problems sustainably.
It was only recently, that I drew our attention to a cropped picture online that has all the past and present political leaders of the Federal Republic of Nigeria from 1960 to date, with the caption: “Wasted Generation. Ordinary Electricity, they cannot fix in 60 years.” While the said caption might be seen as a bit too hard and harsh, but sadly, that has been the stark reality facing the Nigerian society since it gained independence.
One would have expected that by now, considering the importance of power supply, which cannot be over emphasized for any modern society to thrive economically; successive Nigerian Governments would have been able to do whatever that needed to be done to address the nation’s power supply sector. For when there is more power, there will be more employment opportunities income, high life expectancy, and better conditions/quality of life. Power generation is like the engine, the heart beat for industrial growth and the key for enhanced economic activities of any nation. We cannot move forward or do anything without constant uninterrupted power supply. But it has been over 60 years, and that has not happened, despite all the funds said to have been poured into the sector.
The sad part is that those who are close to President Buhari, especially in the last Six years, have not been telling him the truth about the power situation in the country and how the situation has gone from bad to worse, particularly in the area of Power Distribution. The country’s power distribution infrastructure is in total mess, that it will only take a Government with the WILL and determination to address it head-on. While we are aware that Power Generation and Transmission in the country still need to be improved upon, however, it is imperative to note that the Power Distribution aspect is where the major problems are. And the Power Distribution Companies (DISCOS) are not helping matters with their gross incompetence, lack of capacity, capability and the wherewithal to address the many issues in that sector of power supply.
The most annoying aspect about all of this is the fact that Nigeria is blessed beyond measure with the natural resources and wherewithal to transform the nation’s power sector which has been ‘GENERATOR-DRIVEN’ for years, into what it ought to be. Even when suggestions are brought forward by relevant stakeholders and concerned Nigerians, on ways to address the nation’s power supply problem, our Nigerian Government Officials concerned have formed the habit of turning deaf ears, and not telling Mr. President the basic truth about the worsening power supply situation in the country.
We cannot move forward or do anything without constant uninterrupted power supply. For instance, the Micro, Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (MSMEs) cannot survive without steady power supply. To encourage the MSMEs, there is need for the government to provide the necessary infrastructure, and no economy can grow without the MSMEs. This sector provides a greater number of employments in any economy, and that includes Nigeria. There are millions of Commercial Enterprises operating in the country and this includes: Barber Shops, Hair Dressing Salons, Boutiques, Block molding factories, Recording Studies, Dry Cleaning Services, Night Clubs, Casinos, Welders (iron fabricators), Restaurants, Corporate offices, etc, all of which, are utilizing an average of eight liters of petrol per day on different capacity of generator sets. This translates to millions of litters of petrol per day, billions of liters of petrol per month and per annum. And with the current fuel price of N162 - N165, we can imagine how much we spend as a nation on this area. This does not include the cost of oil change, spare parts and general maintenance of the generator sets.
The amount of money people spends daily in fueling and maintaining their generators cannot be comprehended. Nobody will be happy to pay electricity bills to DISCOS in the current power supply situation in the country, especially with the increase in tariff for power supply. Since the Buhari-led Government came on board, I have written several letters to the Presidency and relevant Federal Government Authorities, admonishing them on the fact that: IF THE POWER SUPPLY PROBLEM IS THE ONLY PROBLEM THE PRESIDENT BUHARI GOVERNMENT CAN HOLISTICALLY ADDRESS WITHIN THE YEARS IT HAS TO STAY IN OFFICE, THEN THEIR NAMES WILL BE WRITTEN IN GOLD IN THE COUNTRY’S HISTORY, AND NIGERIANS WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER HIM AND BE GRATEFUL FOR IT. But alas, it is as if our advice is like pouring water on a stone. However, I still believe something can be done within the remaining few years of this administration, in addressing the nation’s power supply problems. All it will take is the President’s Will and determination to do so.
Zik Gbemre.
July 5, 2021
We Mobilize Others To Fight For Individual Causes As If Those Were Our Causes