Oscarline Onwuemenyi 23 April 2014, Sweetcrude, Abuja – Confidence is strongly declining on the power sector reforms by the Federal Government expected to bring efficiency to the sector and with it improved electricity generation, transmission and distribution.Pointing to this, a recent survey has revealed that while 71 per cent of Nigerians were hopeful about the success of the power reforms in January, the figure has now dropped to 65 per cent.
Also, more than 60 per cent of Nigerians receive less than five hours of electricity daily despite government’s insistence that power distribution to homes and industries has increased in the wake of the wholesale privatisation in the sector.
Results of the Power Sector poll, conducted by NOIPolls Limited for the First Quarter of 2014, revealed that an average of 63 per cent of Nigerians have experienced no improvement in their power supply, with 43 per cent experiencing a worsened state and about 20 per cent having no difference at all.
Furthermore, findings in Q1 revealed a 6-point decrease in the proportion of respondents that are hopeful about the power reforms from 71 per cent in January to 65 per cent in March.
More findings revealed that an average of 63 per cent received less than five hours of continuous power supply daily with the majority (45 per cent) receiving between 1-4 hours of continuous power daily and 18 percent receiving zero (0) hours of power supply.
According to the survey, to this effect, an average of 79 per cent of Nigerians use alternative sources to augment their power supply and of this group, a majority (72 per cent) reported they experienced an increase in their spending on these alternative sources.
Also observed was the decline of power supply to households over the quarter as those that experienced any improvement in power supply fell from 44 per cent in January to 37per cent in March 2014.
