Stakeholders decry Nigeria’s 5,800MW electricity capacity
Critical stakeholders in the power sector have said power generation hovering between 4,000 megawatts and 5,800 megawatts responsible for power cuts is a huge embarrassment to the country.
The stakeholders comprising the National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE), the Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations Civil Service Technical and Recreational Services Employees (AUPCTRE) and two civil society organisations – Renevlyn Development Initiative (RDI) and Citizens Free Service Forum (CFSF) – decried the precarious electricity situation in the country, urging the Senate to urgently convene a public hearing on the sector’s performance since 2013.
The groups, in a letter to the Senate dated January 27, 2025, said the power sector privatisation failed Nigeria’s over 200 million people.
The letter, addressed to the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, was jointly signed by NUEE National President, Adedeye Adebiyi; NUEE General Secretary, Dominic Igwebike; AUPCTRE National President, Benjamin Anthony; AUPCTRE General Secretary, Sikiru Waheed; Executive Director of CFSF, Sani Baba, and Executive Director of RDI, Philip Jakpor.
The position of the groups is coming a month after they organised a symposium on the Socio-Economic and Political Implications of the Privatisation of Public Assets and the Way Forward, in Lagos, where they x-rayed the report of the Senate Committee on Power that investigated frequent national grid collapses and related issues, and concluded that the sector was in turmoil.
In the letter, the groups’ position made available by Jakpor also noted that the hike in electricity tariffs and the balkanisation of Nigerians into electricity bands, suggesting who should get electricity the most, equally created an unnecessary class system in the society. “As a result, Nigerians are forced to depend on electric generators at huge financial, environmental and health costs.”
They urged the Senate to immediately convene a public hearing and invite Nigerians to relate their experiences in the last 12 years of the electricity sector privatisation.
Another key demand is a halt to World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF)-suggested initiatives on privatising Nigeria’s public assets under the Public Private Partnership (PPP) or any model that places profits over service delivery and human rights.
They want, instead, the adoption of the Public-Public-Partnership (PuP) model, which has proven to be successful against privatisation, which is inefficient and has become a conduit pipe to fleece the nation, as well as sustained investment in human capital development in the public sector to pave way for efficiency and transparency in their operations.
They also demanded an end to practices that unfairly target workers in exercises that are carried out to strengthen government institutions and advocated that workers be regularly trained and rated based on performance.
Related
Get the latest news delivered straight to your inbox every day of the week. Stay informed with the Guardian’s leading coverage of Nigerian and world news, business, technology and sports.
0 Comments
We will review and take appropriate action.