By Akinola Ajibade
Irregular supply of electricity appears to have taken its hold on the activities of manufacturers nationwide, as Coronavirus continues to unleash its pains globally, the President of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria(MAN), Engineer Ahmed Mansur, has said.
He said disruptions do occur in the process of producing goods and services, by the manufacturers, adding that manufacturers were trying to cope with the situations.
This happens, as the international prices of crude oil continue its downward trend, with the reverberating effects on the economy of oil producing countries, including Nigeria.
In an interview with The Nation,on phone, at the weekend, Ahmed said the sector is passing through a very critical period, and the outbreak of Coronavirus is impacting negatively on the operators in the sector.
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He said electricity supply has reduced further, following the outbreak of Coronavirus, stressing that the manufacturers have, as a result, decided to produce only the goods, which are considered essentials to the consumers.
He said manufactueres are focusing on production of sanitary and other hygienic products, since they continue low energy and readily appeal to consumers in the country.
The manufacturers, Ahmed said, were also producing food items, which ordinarily do not consume a lot of energy, due to the disease.
Ahmed said: ” The industries, especially those that were producing food items and pharmaceutical, were producing goods that benefit the consumers most, as Nigeria continues to witness the spread of Coonavirus.”
He said the body is discussing with the governments and the Central Bank of Nigeria(CBN), with a view to find solution to the problem.
” No doubt, there are disruptions here and there, due to poor power supply in the country. These happen, when members were producing goods and services. We urge stakeholders, including the Federal Government, to try and resolve the problem.
Also, the Chief Executive officer, Power Cam, Mr Biodun Ogunleye, said the situations in the economy and the power sector, in particular have become more critical, due to the spread of Coronavirus in both developed and developing countries.
He said virtually, all the sectors of the economy were affected by the outbreak of Coronavirus, adding that the issue is made more complex by the problems in the nation’s electricity sector.
He said operators and other stakeholders in the energy value chain, are feeling the effects of the problems in the industry, advising government to wade into the matter.
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