02 June 2016, Abuja – The House of Representatives on Thursday summoned the Minister of Power, Mr Babatunde Fashola, to appear before its members to explain reasons for prevailing poor electricity supply in the country.
To appear with the minister are Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Plc (NBET), National Electricity and Regulatory Commission (NERC), Generation Companies (Gencos) and Distribution Companies (Discos).
Fashola, the agencies and companies as well stakeholders in the power sector are expected to be at a public hearing to be conducted by the House on the power supply issue.
The invitation followed a motion which came under Matter of Urgent Public Importance through Rep. Johnson Agbonayinma (Edo-PDP), who called for urgent an attention to epileptic electricity supply across the nation.
He recalled that defunct power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) was unbundled in 2010 into generation, transmission and distribution companies because the Federal Government could not manage the company.
He said that splitting it and given them to private concerns was to ensure improved efficiency and profitability in the sector.
The lawmaker, however, expressed dissatisfaction that in spite of privatising the company at a “landmark 2.5 billion dollars’’, Nigerians were yet to feel the impact of the exercise.
“When the Federal Government had the distribution and generation companies, light was more constant than what Nigerians are experiencing today.”
He decried the current situation where power generation which was over 4,000 megawatts when PHCN was operational had dropped to 1,500 megawatts, throwing the nation into darkness.
Agbonayinma the low electricity generation contradicted government’s promise to in the new arrangement, provide 5, 000 megawatts to Nigerians in the first instance.
The lawmaker expressed dismay that the increase in petrol pump price, soaring rise in prices of food items, collapsed roads, unemployment, and insecurity, had contributed to the hardship being faced by Nigerians.
The motion was unanimously adopted by members through a voice vote and it referred was to the Committee on Power for further legislative action. No date was fixed for the public hearing.
- Vanguard
