…PCAN, NCPN Urge Review Of Privatisation
By ABBA SUNDAY, Abuja
The Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, has charged agencies in the sector, including the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC, Nigerian Electricity Management Services Agency, NEMSA, Transmission Company of Nigeria, TCN, and all other key stakeholders to up their game towards meeting the growth expectations of the 2023 Electricity Act.
Adelabu gave the charge Thursday in Abuja while declaring open this year’s Annual Workshop of the Power Correspondents Association of Nigeria, PCAN, themed,”Resolving Nigeria’s Power Crisis: The Implication of the Electricity Act 2023.
He described the theme as apt due to the exigencies of the Act as a significant part of the country’s energy roadmap that aligns with government’s commitment to the transformation of the power sector as contained in Mr President’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
The Minister who was represented by Nosike Emmanuel, the director, Transmission in the ministry, highlighted the expectations of the law urged all stakeholders to be their toe, stressing that achievement of improved and stable power supply to Nigerians is a task that must be done.
He said, “What this implies is that everyone involved in the power sector value chain must contribute meaningfully in ensuring the successes that is envisaged by the enactment of the Act.
“The different agencies such as NERC, the Nigerian Electricity Management Services ( NEMSA), Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Company (NBET), Rural Electrification Agency (REA), Nigerian Electricity Liability Management Company (NELMCO) and even the National Power Training Institute (NAPTIN), must continue to be up and doing, in the different responsibilities that they have been saddled with as contained in the laws setting them up.
Speaking to the development of the Integrated National Electricity,INE, he hinted, “We are working with the National Council on Power, NCP, to develop and send the implementation strategy to the Federal Executive Council, FEC, for approval”, even as he stressed that “part of the strategy in our road map is the emphasis on the bottom-up approach, unlike the top-down approach of the past”.
Explaining further, he said, “The implication, with the bottom-up approach is that we will prioritise metering, distribution and transmission infrastructure.
“We will also pay attention to the generation segment particularly in areas of distributed (embedded) power from renewable energy sources, while at the same time, advancing base load power through thermal and hydro plants in the medium to long term.
“We will further explore our regional energy potentials. We will focus on solar energy in the North, mini hydro power plants in the Middle belt and the Southwest, hybridized with solar while our coastal States will be identified for wind energy utilisation,” assuring that Nigerians will soon start to experience the objective that led to the Act which is improved power supply across the country.
Welcoming participants earlier on behalf of PCAN, the Chairman, Obas Esiedesa, said the expectations raised by the entrance of private entrepreneurs into the sector at privation ten years ago have largely remained unmet, urging the federal government to take holistic review of the privatisation which may not necessarily be taking the assets away from the private hands, but resolving all the crisis once and for all.
“It is worrying to note that with over 13,000 megawatts of installed capacity, the industry is still struggling to deliver 4,000MW of electricity on a consistent basis,” he said, adding that PCAN welcomes the new initiative by the Minister, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, that has specifically targeted the distribution sector and the consumers.
He thanked the co-sponsors of the PCAN event which is the third in the series, including NEMSA, NERC, REA, NDPHC, TCN, NELMCO, and AEDC for their generousity.
The President, Nigeria Consumer Protection Network, NCPN, Kunle Olubiyo in his brief speech, equally joined the call for the review of the privatisation, saying, “What we are asking is not necessarily license withdrawal, but we are against institutionalizing inefficiency in the sector.
Making his presentation on behalf of NEMSA, the head, Metering and Laboratory Services Department, Engr Gideon Fatumbi, warned consumers to always check NEMSA’s seal and certification when given a meter, reject it if they’re not there, and report such where necessary to the agency for action.
He also stressed the need to ensure the meter is properly installed by certified engineers to forestall abnormal charges and avoidable accident while urging that energy management be carefully observed by all by putting off any appliance not in use at a particular time.