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Tag: electricity supply

  • Togo, Niger, Benin owe Nigeria $17.8m for electricity supply

    Togo, Niger, Benin owe Nigeria $17.8m for electricity supply

    Though Nigerians are struggling with poor electricity supplies and estimated billings neghbouring African countries may just be enjoying our electricity more than us because there are indications that the sub Saharan countries that get supplied light from Nigeria enjoy steady supplies.

    Millions of Nigerians have decried the situation they see as unfortunate with millions of households living daily and deprived of electricity forcing them to provide electricity themselves through Solar panels, Inverters, Generators etc which consume a greater part of their income monthly.

    According to the NERC, Togo, Niger, and Benin owe Nigeria $17.8million, about N25billion at the current exchange rate of the Naira, for electricity supplied under the existing bilateral arrangements.

    In its 3rd quarter  2025 report  NERC disclosed that the three international customers were invoiced a total of $18.69million by the Market Operator for electricity supplied during the period, but unfortunately they remitted only $7.125million, leaving an outstanding balance of $11.56million.

    Similarly, the international bilateral customers had legacy invoices of $14.7million, out of which they paid only $7.84m, leaving a balance of $6.23million.

    READ ALSO: Kano’s unfolding power game

    It added that the international off takers of power included Compagnie Énergie Électrique du Togo, Société Béninoise d’Énergie Électrique of the Republic of Benin, and Société Nigérienne d’Électricité of the Republic of Niger.

    According to NERC, the three international bilateral customer’s purchasing power from the grid-connected GenCos made a cumulative payment of $7.125million against the $18.69million invoice issued to them by the Market Operator for services rendered in the third quarter 2025.

    It stated that the remittance level represented a 38.09 per cent remittance performance, with over half of the invoices remaining unpaid at the end of the quarter.

    It explained that the electricity supplied to the three countries was generated by grid-connected Nigerian generation companies and delivered through bilateral cross-border power arrangements.

    “The three international bilateral customers being supplied by GenCos in the NESI made a payment of $7.12million against the cumulative invoice of $18.69million issued by the MO for services rendered in 2025/Q3, translating to a remittance performance of 38.09 per cent”.

    In contrast, NERC said that domestic bilateral customers performed better, remitting N3.19billion out of the N3.64 billion invoiced to them during the quarter, representing a remittance rate of 87.61 per cent.

    “The domestic bilateral customers made a cumulative payment of N3.19bn against the invoice of N3.64bn issued to them by the MO for services rendered in the 3rd quarter of 2025, translating to 87.61 per cent remittance performance,” it added.

  • Poor electricity supply likely to linger

    Poor electricity supply likely to linger

    • Consumers lament situation

    Many Nigerians spent Christmas Day without electricity supply as recent outages continued. 

    Power Minister Adebayo Adelabu had on Tuesday assured that electricity supply would improve within 48 hours. He attributed the worsening power supply to an explosion at the  Excravos Lagos Gas Pipeline (ELP).  

    In Lagos and other parts of the nation, most homes had no electricity. Those who could no longer cope resorted to using generators.    

    A resident of  Ajuwon, Ogun State, Abidemi Olawale,  said for over three weeks, he had to contend with a “terrible” light situation, adding that he had to rely on powering his refrigerator with a generator to preserve the food stored in it. 

    In Akoka, another Lagos suburb,  a resident who identified herself simply as Calista explained that even three weeks before the minister’s explanation, her area, which is on the Band A belt, hardly had electricity supply for more than five hours a day.

    “We have had no supply in the last four days. However, yesterday evening, light flashed at us three times for about five minutes. As I talk to you, we have no electricity. For me, the Band  A, B and whatever categorisation is a scam,” she said yesterday.

    A resident of  Ijagba Community in  Lafenwa, Ogun State, Mrs Esther Komolafe,  said she has not enjoyed the Band A category ‘imposed’  on the residents.  

    “The electricity situation has been appalling. This festive period, we have not enjoyed light. We have been living on generators,” she lamented.

      Salisu Adamu, a consumer in Kubwa,   the Federal Capital Territory(FCT), said poor supplies were marred by low current.

    “We had light from around 4: 00 am to 3:00 pm yesterday, but in some of the time, the current was low, “ he said.

    In Rivers State, some residents of Ada George, Douglas and Iwofe  in Port Harcourt, complained that the supply from the Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company (PHED) had worsened

    Others from Elekahia also confirmed that electricity supply reduced significantly,  forcing them to depend on generators. 

    A resident, who identified herself as Happineess, said: “Electricity supply during this festive period has been poor. They would bring it and take it almost immediately.”

    In spite of the assurance by the minister, the poor power supply may linger.

     This is not unconnected to the continued reduction in the grid capacity, which has shrunk to about 3,000 Megawatts (MW).  This capacity is a sharp contrast when compared to the set target of 6,000 MW.

    Adelabu had assured that  the country would keep supply at an average of 5,000MW.

    READ ALSO: Malami’s burden

    In  August 2024, the minister,  while addressing the management and staff of Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC) in Ikot Nyong, Cross River State,  assured that “more improvement will be witnessed by next year by consumers.’’

     We are doing everything humanly possible to enhance the state of transmission,’’ he added.

    Available data detailing the second quarter of the outgoing year, sourced from both the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) and the Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO), revealed that while the country has a grid-connected installed generation capacity of 13,625 MW, average available generation in this period stood at 5,395.72MW.

      Despite the installed capacity of over 13,000MW,   available data as of last Tuesday indicated that electricity supply from the national grid dropped to 2,652.05 MW. 

    This figure by Generation Companies(GenCos) represents a plant availability factor (PAF) of 39.6 per cent, meaning that throughout the period under review, about 8,229MW of electricity wheeling capacity was idle and never got to the grid.

    By implication, about 60 per cent of the installed generation capacity remained unavailable for dispatch to the national grid.

    A breakdown of total load allocation to Distribution Companies (DisCos) as captured by the Nigerian Electricity Grid (NIGGRID), on the said date, showed that Abuja Electricity Distribution Company received the highest allocation at 496MW, followed closely by Ikeja Disco with 489MW and Eko Disco with 417MW.

    Ibadan Disco was allocated 388MW, while Benin and Enugu DisCos received 264MW and 252MW, respectively. Port Harcourt Disco was allocated 230MW, with Kano and Kaduna DisCos receiving 218MW and 209MW, respectively. Similarly, Jos Disco received 183MW, while Yola Disco recorded the lowest allocation at 94MW.

    Furthermore, grid records for this month revealed repeated instances where at least 15 grid-connected plants recorded zero output, including Alaoji NIPP, Olorunsogo NIPP, Omoku, Sapele Steam, Rivers IPP, Ihovbor NIPP and Trans-Amadi. Odokpani NIPP deteriorated steeply or falling from 55.5 per cent to 35.72 per cent within a single quarter.

     Alaoji NIPP recorded a PAF of zero, meaning it didn’t contribute to the electricity supply in this period. It should be noted that most of these plants, about 70 per cent, are dependent on gas for their operations.

    The National Independent System Operator (NISO) confirmed that the Lagos-Escravos Gas pipeline explosion resulted in a significant reduction in electricity generation nationwide.

    The body informed the public and power sector stakeholders that it is closely monitoring ongoing repair works being carried out by the Nigerian Gas Processing and Transportation Company (NGPTC), a subsidiary of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

    According to NISO, several gas-fired power stations recorded reduced output following the incident, leading to a drop in available generation capacity on the national grid and a consequent shortfall in electricity supply to consumers.

    The System Operator, however, noted that it has received assurances from NGPTC that restoration works on the vandalised pipeline are nearing completion and that full operations are expected to resume within 24 to 48 hours.

  • FG to raise $10bn for power sector

    FG to raise $10bn for power sector

    The Federal Government plans to engage the private sector to raise a portion of the $10 billion for reliable electricity supply across the country within the next five to 10 years. 

    This was disclosed during a meeting in Abuja between the Director General of the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC), Dr. Jobson Oseodion Ewalefoh and Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo A. Adelabu.

    Adelabu welcomed the ICRC’s initiative, acknowledging the government cannot singlehandedly fund the $10 billion needed for 24-hour power supply, especially with other sectors also requiring significant investment. He noted the importance of maintaining government ownership while using private capital, adding that concessions are the ideal approach to achieve this balance.

    “Achieving 24-hour power supply within 10 years requires a funding commitment of around $10 billion, which the government alone cannot provide,” said Adelabu. “This is why we must partner with the private sector through PPPs, while retaining government interest.”

    The meeting centered on addressing the significant financial and technical needs of Nigeria’s power sector through Public-Private Partnerships (PPP). 

    Both leaders noted the importance of leveraging private sector expertise and funding to boost power infrastructure, with a shared goal of achieving regular electricity supply nationwide.

    Ewalefoh stressed the role of PPPs in addressing the power sector’s challenges, noting that while funding is essential, the issues are complex and multifaceted. 

    Read Also: Power outage sparks fears, concerns in UCH

    He pointed out that private sector collaboration would provide not only capital but also technical expertise necessary for optimizing existing infrastructure and building new power assets.

    “Revamping the power sector requires planning, investment, and time,” he said. “Government cannot fund it alone, so we must rely on the private sector’s financing capacity, which is why the ICRC was set up to regulate this leverage.”

    The DG added that ICRC’s regulatory framework aims to streamline the process of attracting PPP investment to the sector, thereby boosting foreign direct investment and driving economic growth.

    Ewalefoh also revealed a new six-point policy from the ICRC, aimed at accelerating PPP investment and streamlining processes to fast-track project delivery. 

    He assured that while regulatory procedures have been simplified to encourage private sector involvement, stringent oversight remains in place to prevent delays and ensure that only capable firms engage in these partnerships. 

    The Commission includes conditions in PPP agreements where failure to meet these terms leads to automatic nullification.

  • Corruption behind unstable electricity supply — Olukoyede

    Corruption behind unstable electricity supply — Olukoyede

    The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, has blamed the country’s inconsistent power supply on corruption within the power sector.

    Olukoyede revealed that the findings from the commission’s investigations would deeply sadden Nigerians if made public.

    During a visit from the House Committee on Anti-Corruption and Financial Crimes in Abuja on Tuesday, Olukoyede expressed concern that contractors awarded projects to supply electrical equipment frequently choose substandard materials.

    He explained that this practice is a key contributor to frequent equipment breakdowns, power outages, and grid collapses.

    Olukoyede said: “As I am talking to you now, we are grappling with electricity. If you see some of the investigations we are carrying out within the power sector, you will shed tears. People who were awarded contracts to supply electrical equipment, instead of using what they call 9.0 gauge, would go and buy 5.0.

    “So every time, you see it tripping off, getting burnt, and all of that. It falters, and it collapses. This is part of our problems.”

    Olukoyede also revealed that the commission’s investigations had uncovered that, over the past 20 years, the implementation and execution of capital projects in the country had not surpassed 20 percent.

    He emphasised that under such conditions, the country would be unable to achieve significant infrastructural or other forms of growth.

    Olukoyede said, “We discovered that in the last 15 to 20 years, we have not achieved up to 20% of our capital project implementation and execution. And if we don’t do that, how can we expect infrastructural development? How can we grow as a nation? So our mandate this year is to work with that directorate and with the National Assembly to see if we can reach 50% of capital project execution for the year.

    “If we achieve 50%, we will be fine as a nation. The lack of implementation of the capital budget is one of Nigeria’s major problems. And if we tackle that effectively, we will make progress as a nation. We are doing everything possible to prevent that, with your support.”

    The anti-graft chief stated that the commission had received more than 17,000 petitions and is currently investigating over 20,000 cases.

    He said: “We have several cases filed in court, apart from those with convictions, reaching thousands. In the last year, we have received over 17,000 petitions in the EFCC. And currently, as I am speaking, we are investigating over 20,000 cases.

    “Between last October and now, we have opened over 4,800 new cases. And what is our staff count? We are less than 5,000. Now, with the additional responsibility of over 700 MDAs, 36 states, 774 local governments, and all of that.”

    The Chairman of the committee, Obinna Onwusibe, urged the EFCC to work closely with the judiciary to speed up the trials of suspects and reduce the number of inmates awaiting trial.

    Onwusibe said: “Recently, during oversight visits to the maximum and minimum correctional centres in Kirikiri, Lagos State, numerous suspects have been awaiting trial for over a year, yet we are all familiar with the saying that justice delayed is justice denied.

    Read Also: EFCC chair Olukoyede flays suit seeking to declare commission illegal

    “It is on this note that we call on the EFCC, the Attorney General of the Federation, and the judiciary to collaborate and ensure the administration of criminal justice functions effectively and efficiently to deliver justice to victims and society.”

    He also called on the EFCC to uphold transparency and accountability in its operations, stressing the importance of maintaining public trust.

    “The negative narrative circulating in some quarters that the Agency is often used to settle political scores must be proven incorrect and inappropriate by the EFCC.”

  • Consumers lament declining electricity supply

    Consumers lament declining electricity supply

    • ’Discos lack capacity for number of consumers on Band A’

    More electricity consumers are to move up to the Band A category by the Distribution Companies (DisCos). This initiative is to ensure that more consumers enjoy electricity supply, though at a premium price.

      The Band A belt tariff was on April 3 increased to N225 per kilowatt hour (kwh) from N68/kWh. Consumers on this band enjoy a minimum of 20 hours of daily electricity supply. Band A customers represent a 15 per cent of the 12 million electricity customers in the country, which is 1.8 million subscribers.

    All other bands, however, maintain their tariff rate of N68/Kwh. These are: customers under Band B are those who enjoy 16 to 20 hours; Band C enjoys electricity for 12 to 16 hours daily while those in Band D are those that get between eight and 12 hours of power daily, while Band E subscribers only enjoy four to eight hours of electricity consumption daily.

    This development has led to Discos angling to get more of its consumers on the premium band, obviously for the high revenue return the band guarantees. For instance, the Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC), at a recent customers engagement forum, informed that negotiations are underway with its partners to get an additional grid and off-grid supply that would up the utility firm’s supply and service delivery across franchise areas to, at least, 20-hour daily.

    To achieve this, the EKEDC announced it has added 33 more feeders to its Band A platform.

    The firm’s General Manager, Corporate Communications, Babatunde Lasaki, in a statement, assured customers residing in the regions benefitting from the feeder upgrade that they would receive “a guaranteed minimum of 20 hours of power supply daily, consistent with the newly sanctioned Multi-Year Tariff Order”.

    In a similar vein, Ikeja Electric (IE) from its previous 51 feeders announced the addition of 34 more feeders to Band A, bring the total feeders in this category under its franchise area to 85. By implication, the IE will be upgrading more of its consumers to the premium or elite class of electricity users.

    “Effective April 13th, 2024, and based on our demonstrated ability to consistently provide a minimum of 20 hours of daily availability during a performance evaluation period monitored by the regulator, we are pleased to announce that we have obtained approval to add 34 additional Band A feeders to our network. This brings our total from 51 to 85,” Head of Corporate Communication at Ikeja Electric, Kingsley Okotie, noted in a statement.

    But the new tariff may have introduced a new twist to electricity supply in the country. Checks by The Nation revealed that most areas outside the Band A platform have now had to battle with acute drop in electricity supply, not enjoying the number of hours promised.

    An electricity consumer on the IE platform, Mayowa Sodipo, lamented that since the introduction of the new tariff, supply in his area has been worse off compared to what it used to be before the increase.

    “The supply has been incredibly terrible than before the tariff increase. Perhaps since some people pay more now, the DisCos now transfers our supply to them just to get more money and generate higher revenue from the Band A consumers. There are times that for upward of three days, our light doesn’t come on,” Sodipo, a resident of Akute community, said.

    Similarly, another consumer on the EKEDC platform, and resident of Mushin area, Lookman Jaiyeola, rued the supply drop being experienced in his area. “This EKEDC is not fair to us in our area. Now that some people are charged more for electricity we don’t get supply in our area for two days atimes because we are not on the high paying band.  I suspect they may be giving supply meant for us to the other high paying consumers,” Jaiyeola lamented.

    But the General Manager, Commercial, EKEDC, Mr. Samuel  Edoho, disagreed. At a customer forum last week, Edoho explained that: “All our customers are held in high esteem. We have the desire to, at all times, deliver quality hours of supply and services to them.

    The arrangement of customers into different bands was done by Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) due to supply availability. They did not do that to discriminate against anybody or to relegate others to the background.

    “Going forward, we are working hard on negotiations with our partners to up our supply and services so that, in the long run, all our customers will get 20-hour supply and, when this happens, they will all be moved to Bands A and B,” he said.

    Okotie, on his part, expressed that Ikeja Electric “remains committed to meeting the service delivery expectations of all our customers across various tariff bands as we continue to enhance network upgrades within our coverage areas.” According to Ikeja Electric, 41 areas are currently enjoying consistency in its supply and distribution pattern in Lagos.

    Read Also: EKEDC gets additional 33 feeders on Band A to boost electricity supply

    The Chief Executive Officer, Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprise (CPPE), Dr Muda Yusuf, agreed that the Discos may be depriving others on lower bands. He argued that it is the danger of privatising utilities because leaving utilities completely in the hands of the private sector will create a lot of social inequality where people are excluded because they don’t have economic power.

    He advised that while the Discos are chasing their profits, government also need to weigh in so that consumers on other bands are not thrown into perpetual darkness because with a capitalist mindset, Discos won’t mind throwing others into darkness as long as they are making money on the Band A.

    The CPPE boss said that Discos have put too many consumers on Band A all because of the money they want to make.

    “I was surprised when I saw the number of consumers now on Band A; I don’t think the Discos have the capacity to deliver what they are promising on Band A to the number of consumers now pushed to the band. This movement of consumers to Band A has to be properly interrogated so that the operators don’t take undue advantage of the consumers. There are too many people on that band at the moment,” he warned.

  • MAN decries stranded 2000Mw electricity supply

    The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) has decried the challenges in the slow uptake of the 2000Mw stranded electricity by the manufacturing sector and its implications.

    Its Director-General, Mr. Segun Ajayi-Kadir said the challenges had to do with accessing the stranded power  and that eligible customers should not owe any distribution companies (DisCos).

    He recalled the legal dispute between the Association and the some DisCos over poor management of the Multi-Year Tariff Orders, which led to the claim by the DisCos that manufacturers were owing them.

    He said manufacturers were expecting that the government would quickly resolve the impasse between manufacturers and the DisCos.

    He regretted that the challenge of inadequate electricity supply persisted last year and worsened by skyrocketing electricity price.

    He said: “Inadequate electricity supply remains a major driver of the cost of production. A situation where cost of electricity constitutes about 40 per cent of the cost of production and cost of self-generated electricity in 2016 as high as N129billion, N117.38bilion in 2017 and about N43billion in 2018 in the first half of 2018, is not manufacturing friendly. Our survey finding shows slight improvement in electricity generation and distribution with the greatest challenges coming from obsolete electricity infrastructure, weak transmission and distribution networks.”

    He pleaded with government not to allow any increase in electricity tariff in the face of inadequate supply, support stakeholders on the electricity value chain to improve generation, transmission and distribution, intervene in the impasse between MAN, DisCos and NERC and resolve associated issues. Other intervention he asked for is for government to relax some of the requirements for the uptake of the 2000Mw stranded electricity so that manufacturers can leverage on the initiative.

    Ajayi-Kadir sought deliberate actions that would promote non-oil exports in the country.  According to him, MAN believes that the starting point to increasing non-oil export is improving the productive capacity in the real sector, particularly the manufacturing sector.

    He stressed the need for  government  to explore the resource-based industrialisation programme that involves the resourceful utilisation of the abundant natural resources in the country for domestic production, develop key selected mineral resources through backward integration, especially those with high inter-industry linkages such as iron ore, zinc-led, bitumen, lime stone and coal; encourage private sector investment in solid mineral development  for domestic utilisation with appropriate  incentives and  intensify backward integration in the agricultural sector to produce more industrial input supply for other sectors.

    Furthermore he canvassed the need to strengthen the Bank of Agriculture  9BoA) to continue to lend for agricultural production  such as crop and animal production at a rate that supports production in the sector; resuscitate the petrochemical industry by encouraging domestic refining of crude petroleum.

  • ‘Data, others hampering electricity supply’

    THE electricity supply subsector  lacks quality and dependable data, the Executive Secretary, Association of Power Generation Companies (APGC), Dr. Joy Ogaji has said.

    Ogaji, who spoke with The Nation on telephone, she said data was necessary to determine distribution, transmission, and generation infrastructure growth requirements.

    She said the state of the market  determines whether generation capacity should increase or not.

    She said: “Again, the market was faced with financial, operational, construction, market, macroeconomic, contract and regulatory risks. Given that decisions about investments in power generating capacity depended on expected returns and costs, the illiquid state of the industry in addition to the fact that plants were performing below optimum, does not encourage capacity utilisation.

    “In addition, there was little or no emphasis on data, as nothing depended on it. Investments for the growth of the generation sub-sector did not depend on the returns from the distribution sub-sector.”

    She identified load rejection as the new problem in the industry, instead of more power generation.

    She proffered solution to the problem. “Enable efficient regulation, monitor and evaluation, guide the development of efficiency and profitability requirements, enable true customer-demographics and bankable a necessary factor in tariff disaggregation, which is questionable.

    ‘’Enable the distribution companies (DisCos) and its partners meter asset providers (MAP) to meter all the customers given their inability to account for their customers and lack of financial resources, enable the DisCos conduct a technical analysis/audit of all infrastructure to determine a bankable technical loss factor, a key input for the determination of ATC&C loss (aggregate technical, commercial, and collection loss).

    “Provide a source to verify, validate the lack of transparency and reliability issues with DisCos independent data validation. Investments to improve data quality and adequacy in all subsectors of the industry, with the priority being the distribution subsector for obvious reasons will solve a number of issues inhibiting the growth of the sector, especially the inability of the DisCos to make capital investments.”

    Ogaji, therefore, advised stakeholders to maximise capacity utilisation  to achieve low power generation costs and  address the excess capacities.

    According to her, capacity utilisation is used to measure efficiency. Average production costs tend to fall as output rises–so higher utilisation can reduce unit costs, bringing about a more competitive market which makes plants financially viable, she added.

    ‘’Utilising what is existing to get the most out of what is available, which means consuming what is available and recovering unavailable capacities, about 13,000megawatts (Mw) calls for critical evaluation of some market determinants,’’ she said.

    On why the country is in crisis, she traced the problem to privatisation. Prior to privatisation, she said, investments for generation growth did not depend on the returns from the distribution sub-sector.

  • That Maiduguri protest on electricity supply

    IR: In what appeared like a drama, residents of Maiduguri, the Borno State capital recently protested against a 24-hour supply of electricity to their communities. To them, the constant supply has increased the amount they pay for electricity and has led to ridiculous and ‘outrageous billings’. They called for a reversal to the 12-hour electricity supply they had previously enjoyed.

    It is for this reason–the need to end exploitative electricity billings – that the House of Representatives is seeking to criminalise estimated billing system by electricity Distribution Companies (Discos). No doubt, a lot of complaints against estimated billing have been raised by electricity consumers across the country with the result that virtually all the electricity consumers are faced with outrageous bills for electricity that they did not consume in the first place. The culture of arbitrary charge and estimated billing, which amounts to corrupt practice had been condoned and tolerated for too long in our public life and should no longer be allowed.

    Many citizens are frustrated that despite the sale of the assets to private entities, electricity supply in the country continues to be erratic, going from ridiculous to almost non-existent level. It is unfortunate that many years after the privatisation programme, the power sector is still mired in debilitating challenges, ranging from poor liquidity, inefficient distribution line and weak transmission line, among others.

    A main actor in the electricity production, the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), is said to be hampered by factors such as high non-technical losses and low infrastructure coverage of the country with less than 40 per cent of the nation actually covered by the existing transmission infrastructure. TCN has, at many instances, suffered stranded generation such that the improvement of its operational performance and efficiency remains fundamental to the attainment of stable and reliable power. Furthermore, the defunct Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) gas debt is pending on the Discos while the cost-reflective tariff is still a big problem. On their own part, the Discos have promised to deliver over 1.8 million pre-paid meters to consumers, ensure an improvement in service delivery, extend the distribution network and scale down power interruptions, but none of these promises had been achieved after several years.

    It is sad to note that smaller African countries like Ghana enjoy better electricity supply than Nigeria.  As a way forward, there is the need to deal with the situation within the framework of the proposed law by the National Assembly and liberalise the production of meters such that different companies would be empowered to get involved in the production of meters. There should be no room for the people to return to the old exploitative way of procuring meters. It is hoped that the people would be able to get value for their money and not be exploited all in the name of providing uninterrupted power supply. Policies that are hindering effective private participation should be set aside while genuine investors should be encouraged to come in. The government should show the necessary political-will to make things work, just like in other countries that can take regular supply of electricity for granted.

     

    • AdewaleKupoluyi, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta.

  • Community protests bad roads, poor electricity supply

    RESIDENTS of Ilasamaja in Isolo Local Council Development Area (LCDA) Lagos State yesterday protested what they called the bad state of roads and poor electricity supply by Ikeja Electric (IE) Plc.

    The protesters, backed by  the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR), stormed the Isolo LCDA secretariat and IE office at Alausa, with placards bearing various inscriptions.

    A statement by the CDHR Coordinator in Ilasamaja, Comrade Olasunkanmi Olanrewaju, said: “We have for long been patient, thinking this will pay off. We have been forgotten by the government.

    “We want to address two issues, bad roads and poor electricity supply. Our major concern is the deplorable condition of our roads, from Berliet bus stop to Ese-Odo, Okomala, Ajose and Temitope streets. These were part of the roads listed by the Governor Akinwunmi Ambode administration for reconstruction and published in The Punch of January 24, 2017 on pages 24 and 25.”

    The statement said the LCDA Chairman, Mr. Shamsudeen Olaleye, assured the community that Ajose and Temitope streets would be fixed by the Lagos State government when the CDHR officials visited him in his office.

    It added: “He promised to grade the road before intervention by the state government when he was campaigning for re-election. He vowed to do these within six months, if re-elected.”

    A resident, Mrs. Juliana Adeoti, told reporters that they were tired of being treated as second class citizens by Ikeja Electric.

    She said: “The firm compels us to pay for services not rendered. We’ve asked them to give us pre-paid meters, but they refuse. We are tired of poor electricity supply. The government should assist us.

    “Officials of the electricity distribution company usually come with the police to disconnect our light. They seek police protection, because they know they are doing the wrong thing. We’ve been here for the past 40 minutes, but they did not allow us to enter their premises.

    “We appeal to Ikeja Electric to give us pre-paid meters so that we can monitor the electricity we consume. They should stop giving us estimated bills, which do not reflect what we consume. We are not slaves, we are Nigerians.”

    Efforts by The Nation to speak with Ikeja Electric management proved abortive, as the firm’s gate was locked.

  • Border communities in Cross River seek electricity supply

    Border communities in Cross River seek electricity supply

    Residents of communities in Cross River State bordering Cameroon have appealed to the government to restore electricity, to improve economic activities.
    They spoke in interviews with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Nfum, Etung Local Government, yesterday.
    Mr. Augustine Agbor-Attah, the clan head of Nfum, told NAN the community did not have electricity in the last three years.
    He said the situation affected people’s lives, adding that the community lacked social amenities and infrastructure.
    Agbor-Attah said besides electricity, they needed potable water, hospital and schools.
    His words: “In terms of infrastructure, we are lacking a lot. We don’t have water, electricity, schools and hospitals.
    “This is an international border town. We are supposed to have basic amenities, including hotels, but we are lacking these.
    “The officers manning the border post do not even have good accommodation. The roads need to be expanded because of the terrain.’’
    Mr. Emmanuel Ndum, the youth leader of Ajassor, said business did not thrive because of lack of electricity.
    He said since high tension cables were connected in 2014, nothing had been done to provide electricity.
    “The people have been complaining of non-supply of power. They want the government to complete the project, to give them a sense of belonging.
    “We have been using generators. This is not good for the environment. A litre of petrol is N160, ’’ Ndum said.
    Another resident, Mrs. Veronica Ntui, said the community needed warehouses, to promote business.
    “We need warehouses in this town. This is a border community from where goods go out and come into the country daily.’’
    A businesswoman, Ms. Patience Okoronkwo, told NAN running a business in the border community without electricity was very expensive.
    She said she recorded low profit because a good percentage of the profit went into buying of fuel to keep her generator running.
    “It is very difficult to sell drinks without electricity, especially now that the weather is hot and every customer wants a cool drink.
    “I appeal to the government to look into our plight and give us electricity because we paid bills regularly before this indefinite blackout,’’ Okoronkwo said.