The Nation Newspaper

Tag: POWER

  • People Power Project

    Apart from its sheer symbolism, the publicised move by northern yam farmers to boost the campaign funds of the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, with a donation of N5bn speaks volumes about the mass appeal of his remarkable Crowd Funding Project. Reports said Rev. Jacob Musa, Public Relations Officer of a group named Buhari-Osinbajo Presidential Appeal Campaign Fund (BOPCAF), declared in a statement that the money would be raised by its members in Taraba, Nasarawa, Plateau, Adamawa, Benue, Kogi, Kwara, Niger and Kaduna states as well as the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

    More dramatically and spectacularly, according to the information, an unusual fundraiser based on yam selling was scheduled for Jan 4 at the Mararaban Demshin village yam market in Qua’an Pan Local Government Area of Plateau State.  Musa said: “We have contributed five million tubers of yam to be donated in support of the funding of Buhari’s presidential campaign. The five million tubers of yam will be retailed at a special price of N1, 000 each towards raising the sum of N5 billion in support of the APC candidate.”

    Symbolically, tubers of yam hint at the natural cycle of sowing and reaping, possibly suggesting that the time has come for the Goodluck Jonathan presidency to get its comeuppance after a long night of irredeemably poor governance.  Musa, who painted a picture of the Jonathan era, was quoted as saying that the group’s political involvement was a “campaign against poverty, crime, killings, kidnappings, armed robbery, castle rustling, rape, cultism, election rigging, looting of public funds, smuggling, terrorism and other social vices now prevalent in the society.”

    The clear difference between Buhari’s focus on the people for funding and Jonathan’s reliance on moneybags for resources, even if not definitively ideological, is at least promising in terms of individual orientation and direction. Buhari said: My strength mainly is the ordinary people. N100 is plenty of money for them and I know that they are going to make the sacrifice required for the change we are looking for, especially when I made them a promise to be transparent and personally responsible for the money.” It is a reflection of Buhari’s widely acknowledged immaculateness that the bank account details of the Buhari Support Organisation are officially in the public space: Acct No. 2026724405; First Bank Plc. He disclosed that the people had contributed N54.4 million so far.

    However, it’s a long walk to “Change”, that enchanting word which is the APC slogan ahead of next month’s presidential election. Although money by itself is unlikely to give Jonathan electoral victory, especially given his provable low-rung performance in office and associated weakness in the critical area of people appeal, there is no doubt that his reelection campaign war chest of at least N21bn raised at the December 20 Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) fundraiser in Abuja is truly intimidating.

    While the contest might be portrayed as a battle between the masses and the moneybags, the electoral clincher would hopefully be beyond Jonathan’s cash stockpile and the expected grassroots financial contributions to Buhari’s pursuit of presidential power.

    Fundamentally, the country’s historically significant 2015 presidential election represents an unquantifiable opportunity for the electorate to demonstrate not only discerning political consciousness but also confident mastery of its ultimate sovereignty. In other words, the election is better appreciated as a People Power Project.

    It is interesting to note that Jonathan, perhaps in an indirect and self-serving manner, appears to have come to an impressive realisation of the supremacy of the vote or the primacy of the voters. He reportedly said to a visiting delegation of traditional rulers and leaders from Bayelsa State: “If Nigerians didn’t want me to be here, when I contested elections in 2011, I wouldn’t be here. But they voted for us and we are here.”  Without exploring the purity of his alleged win in 2011, it is sufficient to highlight the solid implication of his reasoning, which is that the people have the power to vote against him and deflate his dream of a second term. The question, therefore, is whether this would happen, not whether it could, because it is always a democratic possibility based on people capacity.

    Jonathan further said: “I don’t expect praises now, until I leave office…People don’t often give credit when the man is still there. They often do it when he has left and another man is in charge. When they make comparison, they will begin to see the great things the former man did.”  At least, to go by his words, it is a positive sign that he can accommodate the idea of official impermanence. Of course, he is entitled to his own self-rating, however exaggerated, or more precisely, however revealing of “hallucinatory realism”. What matters, in the end, is whether the people see Jonathan’s first-term performance from his own conceited perspective. So, he could leave office sooner than he is clearly anticipating, if the people say so by their votes.

    Power to the people is a catch-phrase that must be actualised by the people themselves for meaningful change. It is noteworthy that Buhari said: “Currently, 82 support groups have been registered under the Buhari Support Organisation (BSO) with over 475, 796 coordinators and total membership in the region of 8,492,226 across the length and breadth of this country.” Probably the main the challenge facing the progressive camp in the countdown to the defining election is people mobilisation, which will likely come with the difficulty of spreading political awareness and enlightenment as well as delivering the crucial message of the need for game-changing political action within a population that is usually fatalistically absorbent. Indeed, how far the people are ready to go to protect the sacredness of their votes will be decisive.

    It is thought-provoking that Jonathan said in his New Year message: “After the 2011 general elections, some unpatriotic elements embarked on an orgy of violence, resulting in the destruction of lives and property. That will not be allowed to happen this time around. This government will act decisively against anyone who disrupts the public peace, before, during or after the 2015 general elections.”  The question is: What if the people are triggered to defend their votes?

  • Power: Expert seeks action against indiscriminate billing

    The Managing Director of Energy Solution Nigeria Limited, Mr. Yomi Kolawole, has on Monday urged electricity consumers in the country to seek legal action against distribution companies for indiscriminate billing.

    Speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos, Kolawole said this would make the DISCOs to stop outrageous billing of consumers.

    He further added that since Federal Government handed over Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) to private investors last year, the electricity supply had worsened.

    Meanwhile, he observed that there had been a steady increase in monthly electricity billing.

    He said that due to indiscriminate billing, some consumers had resulted to vandalising DISCOs’ installations in their communities.

    The managing director said that the destruction would not solve the problem of outrageous billing, adding that they should seek legal action against the DISCOs.

    “Now that power sector has been privatised, the individual company must be held responsible for their actions.

    “They cannot continue to give consumers outrageous bills monthly without electricity supply.

    “The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has ordered all DISCOs to provide us with prepaid meters, but till now they have not given up to 10 per cent of their consumers.

    “I think that if the consumers know their right and charge them to court on this, they will sit up and do the work they are being paid to do,” he said.

    Thus, Kolawole urged the NERC to stop the increase in electricity tariff until there was improvement in electricity supply.

  • Power shift: Asari-Dokubo urges Rivers residents to protest ‘injustice’

    •‘Jonathan has no competitor’

    A former warlord and leader of the Niger Delta People’s Salvation and Volunteer Force (NDSVF), Alhaji Mujahid Asari-Dokubo, has urged Rivers residents to protest the alleged injustice on rotational power among the ethnic groups in the state.

    The former warlord urged the people to ensure that each of the ethnic groups had its turn to lead the state.

    He said it would amount to high-level injustice if Rivers indigenes were not allowed to enjoy equal access to power through a rotational arrangement.

    According to him, it will be an act of injustice, if power remained with one ethnic group.

    Asari-Dokubo said the best way to attract peace, equity and justice was to give other ethnic nationalities the opportunity to govern Rivers State.

    The NDSVF leader spoke yesterday at the funeral of his grandmother, Princess Preba Abigail Prince Ekineh, at Buguma in Asari/Toru Local Government Area.

    He said the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP’s) presidential candidate, President Goodluck Jonathan, had no competitor in next year’s election.

    Asari-Dokubo said Jonathan haddone well in all sectors of the economy, adding that he would get massive votes in the 2015 election.

    According to him, the PDP presidential candidate had already won.

    Asari-Dokubo said: “It is injustice for one set of people in Rivers State to continue to rule. Rivers State is a multi-ethnic state and all the ethnic nationalities must have access to government. So, whoever is encouraging this perfidy does not mean well for the people of the state.

    “That’s because I know that someday the deceit will explode. The people must protest against this. The only way out is to seek justice and equity in search of the next governor of Rivers State. I expected all the political parties in Rivers State to field candidates from the ethnic groups crying for justice.

    “With what Jonathan has done in all the sectors of the economy, I am optimistic that he will win in 2015. I am not afraid of anybody. He has already won.  My confidence is that he is going to get the victory.”

  • Power supply rises to 3,666.76MW

    Energy supplied  by the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI) has increased to 3,666.7Mega Watts.
    The Federal  Ministry of Power which made this discourse on its website in its latest Power Statistics of December 21, had in on December 11 sent out 2,954.51MW.
    The ministry however noted that energy generation which was 3,206.09MW on December 11 , increased to 3,732.27MW in the latest statistics.
    Of the 3,732.27MW generated energy, the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) which is responsible for wheeling electricity to the electricity distribution companies could not evacuate 65.51MW.
    According to the statistics, the electricity market recorded a peak power generation of 3,912.3 on December 11.
    The NESI which hitherto has a peak demand forecast of 12,800MW, attained its highest peak generated energy of 4,517.6 MW on December 23, 2012.
    It would be recalled that the Federal Government is still battling to meet its 5,000MW target this year. But according to the ministry, vandalism, shortage of gas and other constraints still militate against the attainment of the goal.
    Meanwhile, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has approved the review of the Multi Year Tariff Order (MYTO) 2 regime with an implication for takeoff date for a disciplined electricity market by January 1, 2015.
    The commission explained that it would insulate residential customers from the present hike.

  • Shuaibu: Power must shift in 2015

    Shuaibu: Power must shift in 2015

    Senator Lawal Shuaibu is the Deputy National Chairman (North) of the All Progressives Congress (APC). He represented Zamfara North in the National Assembly between 1999 and 2007. In this interview, the former National Secretary of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) speaks about the chances of the Apc in next year’s election. He spoke with Tony Akowe.

    The APC is less than two years old as a party, but it has gained a wide acceptability across the country. What is responsible for this?

    What is responsible is the desire by Nigerians to see a change. The Nigerian people have always been looking forward to the opposition to effect a change in the status quo. People are fed up with the situation of things in the country because nothing works, corruption is growing and impunity has become the norm in official quarters. You’ll find out that there is impunity everywhere, including the legislature, the judiciary and the executive. In fact, in the executive arm of government everybody is doing whatever they want without any caring what will happen. The Nigerian people have been pushed to the wall. Nigerians are desirous of good governance. Indeed, the APC was formed to push for good governance. For your information, the APC is a conglomeration of all major opposition parties in this country. They made sacrifices to come together because they know that Nigerians are yearning for change.

    Why has the party settled for Gen. Mohammadu Buhari as its presidential candidate?

    That is the people’s choice. The primary that threw him up was very transparent; votes were cast and he emerged. He emerged because people want to give him the opportunity to realize his ambition of effecting a change in the country.

    The argument is that globally many countries are going for younger people…

    But, in Tunisia, an 82 year old man just won an election; in Sierra Leone, somebody much older has also won election. You cannot question people’s choice. People wanted a change and they made their choice as to the person they feel can effect such a change.

    The North, which is your constituency, appears divided between Buhari and Jonathan. For instance, the ACF came out recently to say that they have not endorsed Buhari. What is your take on this, given the fact that the region is very critical to your success?

    The North is solid as far as the choice of Buhari is concerned. When you talk about the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), you should know that it is not a political grouping, but a cultural organisation. When you say ACF or Ohaneze, they are not political organisations and, so, what anybody from the organisation says does not necessarily reflect the views of the generality of the people in the North. Let me tell you that the leaders of the PDP from the North have resolved to back Gen. Buhari and will mobilize for his success come February. Quote me on this and go and write it down. Forget all the rhetoric flying around. Of course, man must eat. But, when it comes to that day, you will see what is going to happen.

    Do you think it would be easy to defeat an incumbent? Secondly, don’t you think the insurgency in the Northeast will affect your chances in the election?

    There are several countries in Africa where the opposition took over power and Nigeria cannot be an exception. I told you from the beginning that when the wind of change comes, it will not be about money or power, but the will and wish of the people. Once they are resolved, they will go the whole hug to realise their wish. As for the issue of insurgency, elections were successfully held in Afghanistan, Egypt and Syria, which are experiencing insurgency. The same applies to Iraq. So, what are you talking about? Insurgency is not an impediment. In fact, the people in the Northeast where the insurgency is more pronounced are very eager to use their votes to express their opinion about the incumbent government and the way things are going in the country. They feel highly disenchanted and they are going to show it.

    Some people believe that the change the APC is preaching has only happened in the state capitals in places like Lagos and Edo and that if given the chance, the party may not be able to replicate this at the federal level…

    We are talking about the APC as a party that is a little over one year old. It has just ratified its manifesto at the recent National Convention. The party intends, as a matter of policy, to enforce the implementation ifs policies by government at all levels. Our policies are cry clear and we are going to implement it and it is left for Nigerians to judge the implementation of the party’s programmes. You cannot use the standard of the legacy parties to judge what is going to happen to an APC government henceforth.

    We are talking about change in the APC when a good number of the chieftains of the party are from the same PDP we are accusing of running down the system. So, what is that change we are talking about?

    The good thing is that it is not everybody in the PDP that came to join the APC. Besides, those who defected to the APC probably found themselves in the midst of strange bedfellows and that is why they left the fold. I want to assure you that in the APC we are going to strictly adhere to the constitution of the party. There will be the principle of party supremacy. The party is supreme and dictates what happens; the governors or the President cannot hold the party to ransom.

    The leader of the party is Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, in his capacity as the National Chairman. But, of course, we have national leaders such as Atiku Abubakar, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, Chief Bisi Akande, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu and many others. Tinubu is always in the news, but he is not the only national leader. The issue of national leader is not an issue that has to do with the constitution of the party. As far as the party is concerned, the leader of the party is the National Chairman of the party. During the NPN days, they observed the principle of party supremacy. If you watched General Buhari on Channels TV before the convention, they asked him what he intends to do or the action he will take on certain issues and he said he will rely on the party to tell him what to do. He has read the constitution and gone through the manifesto and understood how the APC should operate. The party is just starting and we are going to show Nigerians for the first time that the issue of party supremacy is back in Nigeria’s democratic norms.

    In other climes, when you defect from one party to other, you resign your position. But, in Nigeria under the present political dispensation, this has not been the case. What will the APC do about this?

    We will follow strictly the constitutional provision and ensure that the judiciary, when confronted with matters like this, will do justice to it.

    Recently, Prof. Akinyemi wrote a letter predicting that there will violence during and after the 2015 election. What is your take on this?

    When you talk about violence, you are shouting fire even before you strike the match. It means that you have a motive. We don’t foresee any violence. What we foresee is when the will of the people is spelt out, the generality of Nigerians will stand up in jubilation because for the first time, we have all resolved to accept the will of the people. But where you are talking about violence, it means there is an intention to rig election. If there is no intention to rig election, why do you have to talk about violence. Why do you start shouting fire when there is no smoke?

    But one of your governors Chibuike Amaechi said if the election is rigged, you will not go to court, but will form a parallel government and make Nigeria ungovernable. How would you react to this?

    People are entitled to their opinions and their audience is entitled to their own interpretation of such statements. Only Amaechi could interpret what he said and what he meant. But, we are saying is that we don’t intend to embark on any violence. But, let me tell you that if you strike somebody and he reacts, then you turn round and say he wants to perpetuate violence. We don’t propagate violence and we don’t advice people to embark on violence. But, sometimes, you don’t have control over the reaction of people who feel they are on their right. You may even be in your house when commotion will erupt and somebody will say that you caused it. You didn’t cause it. Once the will of the people is allowed to prevail, there is not going be violence in any party of the country. When you talk of the Niger Delta, I want you to go and write it down, the APC will win Bayelsa, the home state of the President. We have made our assessment; we know what is going on there and we I’ll cashed in on that.

    There is the belief that the Southwest is the base of the APC. Don’t you have this fear that there may be a repeat of what happened in 2011 when they voted for Jonathan when Nigerians were expecting them to vote for the ACN?

    When you talk about 2011, the circumstances are not the same. The political atmosphere is no longer the same. The year 2011 was a time when an opportunity was opened for the political class to introduce religious politics and the PDP has continued to encourage it. The President visited Lagos nine times within a period of one month. He was visiting churches and that has never happened in the history of this country where you take your political campaign to the church or the mosque. But, he was doing it openly in the full glare of cameras.

    The PDP has just raised N21 billion for the campaign. How would you match this? Are you going to do the same thing?

    We would not attempt to replicate the fraud perpetrated by the PDP. If the Independent National Electoral  Commission (INEC) is serious about enforcing the provisions of the electoral act, it ought to ensure that every member of the PDP who pledged a donation at the fund raising show the source of the money. This is the law and the electoral act is very clear about this. When a governor says he has donated N1 billion, it must not be from government coffers. INEC knows that the governor has no right to take the peoples’ money and donate. The PDP National Chairman Adamu Muazu said part of that money will be used to complete the National Secretariat and the rest will be used for campaign at all levels. There is no provision in the law that says you can use government money meant for developmental projects for political campaign. So, the party should show us the receipt issued to each donor by the party and let us see the accounts of the PDP because such money cannot come in bags and sacks, but through some instruments. We must know the source of that money. If it comes from government account, then the PDP or the person who stole government money for political campaigns is liable. In our own case, we intend to raise funds, through transparent means. Whoever donates money, we will publish it, so that the whole world will see. We will not accept any anonymous donations.

    Whoever brings in money, it will be for the world to know where the money comes from. So, we don’t have any fear about the money raised by the PDP, as long as they are as transparent as the law stipulates and as far as INEC will be neutral and be prepared to enforce the provisions of the Electoral Act.

     

  • Politics of power shift in Ebonyi

    Politics of power shift in Ebonyi

    In this piece, Leo Sobechi, writes on the politics of power shift in Ebonyi State and its implications for stakeholders in post-Elechi period.

    The recent governorship primary election in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has thrown up serious issues about the unity and peace of Ebonyi State. Some observers concluded that the state Governor, Chief Martin Elechi, had lost in the power equation. But the fact remains that there are many sides to any event. Hence it is not the focus of this writer  to comment on the credibility or otherwise of that assumption.

    However, the aspect of the whole scenario which necessitated this reaction is the mischievous imputation in such a hurried declaration that tends to question the place and potency of the current political leader of Ebonyi State. Taken from the perspective of leadership and its place in social development therefore, the matter could be seen beyond victory or loss.

    If leadership presupposes followership, a situation whereby followers denounce leadership gives rise to rebellion. But then another question arises. Is rebellion possible in a democracy where plurality of opinions is the defining feature? Furthermore, does opinion leadership presuppose willy-nilly obedience? One outstanding feature in the analysis of political tendencies is that competition for electoral office is the socio-psychological equivalent of war. In a war situation, reason is a scarce commodity as each camp plots and does all that could win it victory. Against the background of the foregoing, could it be said that Governor Martin Elechi lost out in the competition for power in the coming  election year of 2015? A little background is necessary for a comprehensive appreciation of the issues involved.

    It is a fact that even before he was elected as the second executive governor of Ebonyi State, Chief Elechi was  generally seen as the leader of Ebonyi State. However from May 29, 2007 when he was sworn into office as governor, Chief Elechi began to perform the office of leader of government and the political platform upon which he won the governorship election which is the PDP. It was based on the fact of this political leadership that the Governor nominated David Nweze Umahi as the Chairman of Care-taker Committee of Ebonyi PDP in 2007. The subsequent proclamation by the Governor that the Care-taker committee members should proceed unopposed during the party’s state congress was also in his position as leader. Then in 2011 the Governor yet again nominated Chief Umahi to contest the governorship with him as his running mate. In all these expressions of preferences by Governor Elechi, there  was nothing to suggest that there was no dissenting views or opinions. But the fact that the leader had spoken was enough to stifle those voices of disapproval in the interest of the unity of Ebonyi State.

    The population of Ebonyi State is unevenly distributed among the three senatorial zones of the state. And given historical realities that underline  the state creation, the Abakaliki bloc which is spread into Ebonyi North and Central Senatorial zones share much in common politically. Moreover the population of the old Abakaliki bloc exceeds that of Ebonyi South Senatorial zone otherwise known as old Afikpo bloc. This demographic segmentation is necessary to explain the argument which is beyond those who are not conversant with the socio-political reality of the state.

    It was against that background that Governor Martin Elechi decided to embark on shuttle diplomacy to plead with the people of old Abakaliki bloc to show political understanding by accommodating the necessity of power shift to the old Afikpo bloc. Even prior to that intervention the governor had shown his determination to transfer power to Ebonyi South Senatorial zone by his actions and utterances. However, after elevating Umahi from PDP Chairman to Deputy Governor, it began to dawn on the governor that the criteria for selecting the next governor of the state include the reality of political sensibilities and democratic considerations in Ebonyi South. Such vagaries pointed to the fact that between Ohaozara and Afikpo, Afikpo should be given prime consideration for the position of governor. Not that alone, the historical role played by the late Dr. Akanu Ibiam in the struggle for Ebonyi State creation brought about the moral question. There was need therefore to recognize the unique labour of that hero past in the consideration of where the gubernatorial power should anchor in Ebonyi South.

    In keeping with the dictates of his position as leader, Governor Elechi therefore settled in his mind to nominate Professor  Onyebuchi Chukwu for consideration as the ideal candidate to represent the South in the position of governor. Unfortunately it happened that it was the same people that had benefitted in the past from the Governor’s opinion leadership that decided to kick against the choice of Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu. While these political actors fought against Professor Chukwu’s nomination, they forgot the painstaking campaigns and moral suasion of the Governor that the old Abakaliki bloc should accommodate the interest of their Ebonyi South brothers and sisters. Add to that some envious economic opportunists saw the ensuing political battle as opportunity to come in and settle scores with Elechi and try to have a say in how the rich mineral deposits in Ebonyi State should be exploited. The gang up became so entrenched that various peace conferences that were held in Abuja to resolve the political crisis brewing in Ebonyi lost sight of the hidden interest of economic prospectors. To show their gross misunderstanding of the issues involved, the leadership of PDP gratuitously suggested that Governor Elechi should proceed to the Senate and allow things to go as planned. But disregarding the vain carrot being dangled in his face, the Governor decided to bear the cross of patriotism in his ardent love for Ebonyi State.

    It is therefore to his credit that  the compromised primary election of the PDP should hold without mayhem being levied on the state. Not only did Governor Elechi live true to his name as Peace Advocate, he allowed his democratic ethos full expression. Convinced that water must always find its level and foreseeing that all weights must return to the ground, Chief Martin Elechi prevented Ebonyi youth from going wild. It was obvious that the youth were infuriated by the rebellion of beneficiaries of his  leadership and benevolence. The mass movement of these young elements from PDP to the Labour Party, (LP) is the democratic converse of physical protest. So even though Governor Elechi succeeded in reining in the youth from violent confrontation with those who sought to instigate a return to ferocious exchange, he could not continue to restrain them from using their numerical advantage as weapon of political expression.

    And so, did Governor Elechi lose out in the power equation? Not by any means. Rather the elder statesman should be praised for his patriotism and foresight. Ebonyi State which he joined hands with other veterans to found, remains united in the enjoyment of peace. What is more, the political space has been widened such that the forthcoming election would show whether Ebonyi is for sale to the highest bidder or Ebonyi people have become capable of electing  their leader! As  the Labour Party comes alive in the State, all things seem to be working together for the good of Ebonyi people.  If not for the uprising by political upstarts, who would have thought that Ebonyi  state which is renowned for hard work and sense of social justice  would find its traditional kinship with a political party founded by workers for the suffering masses? Those who see the emergent political realities as Elechi’s loss should rather commend and crown him as a pacific patriot and father of Ebonyi State. Ebonyi is on the march again!

    The recent governorship pri-
    mary election in the Peoples
    Democratic Party (PDP) has thrown up serious issues about the unity and peace of Ebonyi State. Some observers concluded that the state Governor, Chief Martin Elechi, had lost in the power equation. But the fact remains that there are many sides to any event. Hence it is not the focus of this writer  to comment on the credibility or otherwise of that assumption.

    However, the aspect of the whole scenario which necessitated this reaction is the mischievous imputation in such a hurried declaration that tends to question the place and potency of the current political leader of Ebonyi State. Taken from the perspective of leadership and its place in social development therefore, the matter could be seen beyond victory or loss.

    If leadership presupposes followership, a situation whereby followers denounce leadership gives rise to rebellion. But then another question arises. Is rebellion possible in a democracy where plurality of opinions is the defining feature? Furthermore, does opinion leadership presuppose willy-nilly obedience? One outstanding feature in the analysis of political tendencies is that competition for electoral office is the socio-psychological equivalent of war. In a war situation, reason is a scarce commodity as each camp plots and does all that could win it victory. Against the background of the foregoing, could it be said that Governor Martin Elechi lost out in the competition for power in the coming  election year of 2015? A little background is necessary for a comprehensive appreciation of the issues involved.

    It is a fact that even before he was elected as the second executive governor of Ebonyi State, Chief Elechi was  generally seen as the leader of Ebonyi State. However from May 29, 2007 when he was sworn into office as governor, Chief Elechi began to perform the office of leader of government and the political platform upon which he won the governorship election which is the PDP. It was based on the fact of this political leadership that the Governor nominated David Nweze Umahi as the Chairman of Care-taker Committee of Ebonyi PDP in 2007. The subsequent proclamation by the Governor that the Care-taker committee members should proceed unopposed during the party’s state congress was also in his position as leader. Then in 2011 the Governor yet again nominated Chief Umahi to contest the governorship with him as his running mate. In all these expressions of preferences by Governor Elechi, there  was nothing to suggest that there was no dissenting views or opinions. But the fact that the leader had spoken was enough to stifle those voices of disapproval in the interest of the unity of Ebonyi State.

    The population of Ebonyi State is unevenly distributed among the three senatorial zones of the state. And given historical realities that underline  the state creation, the Abakaliki bloc which is spread into Ebonyi North and Central Senatorial zones share much in common politically. Moreover the population of the old Abakaliki bloc exceeds that of Ebonyi South Senatorial zone otherwise known as old Afikpo bloc. This demographic segmentation is necessary to explain the argument which is beyond those who are not conversant with the socio-political reality of the state.

    It was against that background that Governor Martin Elechi decided to embark on shuttle diplomacy to plead with the people of old Abakaliki bloc to show political understanding by accommodating the necessity of power shift to the old Afikpo bloc. Even prior to that intervention the governor had shown his determination to transfer power to Ebonyi South Senatorial zone by his actions and utterances. However, after elevating Umahi from PDP Chairman to Deputy Governor, it began to dawn on the governor that the criteria for selecting the next governor of the state include the reality of political sensibilities and democratic considerations in Ebonyi South. Such vagaries pointed to the fact that between Ohaozara and Afikpo, Afikpo should be given prime consideration for the position of governor. Not that alone, the historical role played by the late Dr. Akanu Ibiam in the struggle for Ebonyi State creation brought about the moral question. There was need therefore to recognize the unique labour of that hero past in the consideration of where the gubernatorial power should anchor in Ebonyi South.

    In keeping with the dictates of his position as leader, Governor Elechi therefore settled in his mind to nominate Professor  Onyebuchi Chukwu for consideration as the ideal candidate to represent the South in the position of governor. Unfortunately it happened that it was the same people that had benefitted in the past from the Governor’s opinion leadership that decided to kick against the choice of Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu. While these political actors fought against Professor Chukwu’s nomination, they forgot the painstaking campaigns and moral suasion of the Governor that the old Abakaliki bloc should accommodate the interest of their Ebonyi South brothers and sisters. Add to that some envious economic opportunists saw the ensuing political battle as opportunity to come in and settle scores with Elechi and try to have a say in how the rich mineral deposits in Ebonyi State should be exploited. The gang up became so entrenched that various peace conferences that were held in Abuja to resolve the political crisis brewing in Ebonyi lost sight of the hidden interest of economic prospectors. To show their gross misunderstanding of the issues involved, the leadership of PDP gratuitously suggested that Governor Elechi should proceed to the Senate and allow things to go as planned. But disregarding the vain carrot being dangled in his face, the Governor decided to bear the cross of patriotism in his ardent love for Ebonyi State.

    It is therefore to his credit that  the compromised primary election of the PDP should hold without mayhem being levied on the state. Not only did Governor Elechi live true to his name as Peace Advocate, he allowed his democratic ethos full expression. Convinced that water must always find its level and foreseeing that all weights must return to the ground, Chief Martin Elechi prevented Ebonyi youth from going wild. It was obvious that the youth were infuriated by the rebellion of beneficiaries of his  leadership and benevolence. The mass movement of these young elements from PDP to the Labour Party, (LP) is the democratic converse of physical protest. So even though Governor Elechi succeeded in reining in the youth from violent confrontation with those who sought to instigate a return to ferocious exchange, he could not continue to restrain them from using their numerical advantage as weapon of political expression.

    And so, did Governor Elechi lose out in the power equation? Not by any means. Rather the elder statesman should be praised for his patriotism and foresight. Ebonyi State which he joined hands with other veterans to found, remains united in the enjoyment of peace. What is more, the political space has been widened such that the forthcoming election would show whether Ebonyi is for sale to the highest bidder or Ebonyi people have become capable of electing  their leader! As  the Labour Party comes alive in the State, all things seem to be working together for the good of Ebonyi people.  If not for the uprising by political upstarts, who would have thought that Ebonyi  state which is renowned for hard work and sense of social justice  would find its traditional kinship with a political party founded by workers for the suffering masses? Those who see the emergent political realities as Elechi’s loss should rather commend and crown him as a pacific patriot and father of Ebonyi State. Ebonyi is on the march again!

     

  • Wali: ‘PDP’ ll return to power in Sokoto’

    Wali: ‘PDP’ ll return to power in Sokoto’

    Nigeria’s  former Ambassador to Morocco  Senator Abdallah Wali  won the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) governorship ticket in Sokoto State. In this interview with ADAMU SULEIMAN, he speaks about the Sokoto governorship primaries, his vision and other issues. 

    How do you feel emerging as the PDP’s governorship candidate in Sokoto State?

    I feel grateful to Almighty God for making it possible to be elected as the governorship candidate of our great party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for next year’s general elections. I am highly delighted by the level of support by members of our party, who have demonstrated their confidence in me, by allowing me to fly the party’s flag in the forthcoming general elections. I thank all the delegates, particularly members of the National Working Committee and Mr. President for leading the party in such a way that people can aspire to various positions through a free and fair election. I must say that without the discipline that the national headquarters of the party has provided, people like us would not have had the opportunity to aspire, let alone win the primary election. I sincerely thank them all.

    What strategies did your party intend to adopt or put in place to win the governorship election in the state?

    Well, winning strategies are not things that should be disclosed in the public. They are things that are exclusive to the campaign committee, which is being worked on for our victory. But, be it as it may, I will say that we are well prepared for the elections. We look forward to a successful race. We have gone through the same system before and we believe we will make it again.

    The party won the 2007 and 2012 general elections in the state. Although, the governor and some of his aides have since moved to the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC),  we believe that the PDP is a party that is still alive. It is still kicking and capable of winning any elections in the state. The coming of His Excellency, the former Governor of Sokoto State, Alhaji Attahiru Bafarawa into the PDP fold has re-galvanised the party. We believe we can win all the various seats. You will also recall that in 2003, former Governor Bafarawa was running for second term on the platform of the defunct All Progressive Party (APP), and I was also contesting on the PDP platform for the first time. But, he (Bafarawa) won the election in that contest and today the two of us are working together. We believe that we have the necessary structure on the ground to win the election for the PDP. By God’s help, it will come to pass.

    Why are the other contenders refusing to accept the outcome of the primary?

    Well, I will say that I am very disappointed by the development because the election was covered by the media and other observers. We, the four aspirants received an invitation to the venue from the panel in order to address us. When we arrived, we found that we were only three; we were told that the forth aspirant, Alhaji Yusuf Suleiman had withdrawn from the race. The panel advised us to go through the election in a peaceful manner and urged us to accept the outcome of the elections.

    The accreditation lasted for a long time.  Though, the accreditation exercise was supposed to be a simple formality in the sense that the same delegates voted a week earlier for the state assembly election across the state. All the delegates that had participated in the congress of the governorship primary were delegates to the state assembly elections in their respective constituencies. These same delegates also participated in the National Assembly elections which was conducted without hitch. The governorship election was the fourth election the delegates were participating in. The accreditation was still done in the usual way and after that the election panel announced the commencement of the election.

    That was when one of the aspirants, Alhaji Mukthar Shagari, as we were told, approached the panel that since the election could not hold in neighbouring state of Zamfara, it should also be postponed here in Sokoto. That was an absurd proposition. The Police Commissioner had to come and address us individually assuring us that election must hold because the accreditation has been completed. Later, he (Shagari) had a session with the media and later met with the electoral panel before staging a walk out from the Giginya Stadium, venue of the exercise. To me, all those actions are not consistent with the democratic principles. People who hold the position of leadership are supposed to live by example. In summary, the voting continued and election was conducted peacefully in the open. The result was later declared and we expected them to quickly congratulate the winner.

    One of the contestants alleged that the delegates’ list was manipulated in the process. What is your take?

    As I said earlier, the delegates that were accredited had voted three times previous occasions before the congress. In the real sense, there is no justification for accusing anybody of manipulating the delegates’ list.

    Do not forget that these delegates were accredited in front of three certified agents that represented the three aspirants.

    To us, it is embarrassing for anybody to raise the issue of fake delegates during the election. This venue was an open air arena and not a hall. Officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) were present and they monitored the processes. Security agents were also present at the venue. To many, the election was one of the most transparent in the state. Two of the aspirants were even seen going round, speaking with the delegates.  But, I was not involved in the act because according to the rules, contestants are not expected to have contact with the delegates. Anybody who says the exercise was not fair, is not telling the truth. I hope such people would quickly desist from that and accept the outcome.

    Have they formally congratulated you?

    Senator Abubakar Gada, one of the contestants had since congratulated me for winning the election. Alhaji Mukthar Shagari was not at the venue when the winner was declared, so I am not expecting him to congratulate me immediately. I have been hoping to receive his phone call or text message. But, up till now he has not done so. I believe we are one PDP family and we are supposed to work together as a team for the success of the party. I have invited the party executive members to brief them on the preparation of my campaign team and activities. We will also invite the supporters of my co-contestants to join our campaign team, so that together we will work hand-in-hand in order to come out victorious.

    The action of your co-contenders, by not accepting the outcome of the contest, could threaten the party’s success next year. Don’t you think so?

    You see, this borders on the unity of the party as a whole. We all believe that it is only a united front that can bring success to our party. The first aspect is that, one of the aspirants, Senator Abubakar Gada, has accepted the outcome of the election because right there, he congratulated me and I alluded to that in an acceptance speech.

    It was in the open when he came over to me and I thanked him for that. The second aspirant who is yet to accept the result now is Alhaji Mukthar Shagari. Of course, his decision not to accept the outcome is a challenge. But, it is a manageable challenge because the election is not a question of somebody winning 100 per cent. We only won with 74 per cent of the total votes, which means three quarters of our party faithful shared our beliefs and dreams. That is a strong percentage of the party followership that can lead the party to success. Secondly, even among sympathizers of other aspirants, we are still going to have sizeable numbers of them that could work for the party. Since all of them are aware that the process was free and fair. They (delegates) would be convinced to toe the path of truth at the end. It is natural for aspirants to be disappointed after losing a contest and thereby refuse to congratulate the winner. But, that is not always the case for followers.

    What are your plans for the state, if elected as the governor?

    You see, Sokoto State is facing very stiff challenge in terms of moral value. The people of the state are so worried that the morality level among the youths has gone so low and they believe that something must be done. One of the reasons I am aspiring for the governorship position is because people believe in our sincerity of purpose. They are aware that we are really committed to changing the trend of moral decadence in the state and that we will do by the grace of the Almighty. We are committed to doing that for ourselves and for the sake of our children. That is one area. The second one is the national disgrace that the state is facing today going by analysis from National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). The bureau has for long identified Sokoto as the poorest state in the poverty indices. The question is that, why should we be the poorest state in the country?

    What really is the problem, is the state lacking in human or natural resources?

    The answer is none. So, why should a state that has over 90 per cent of its land arable and has one of the major productive dams in the country be called a poor state? This is simply because of lack of good leadership. We believe that we can change that trend. We intend to use agriculture as number one focus in transforming the fortunes of the state. We will give support to farmers during the rainy season. We will make sure that we draw the Goronyo Dam to service all the farmers that are on the sloppy part of the state. Where we cannot use the dam, we are going to construct tube wells and make sure that our people are engaged in farming all-year round. Sokoto people are productive people and we believe that if we can support them, it will improve their lot.

    What can you say about education in the state?

    On that also, the National Bureau of Statistics has also released the indices that Sokoto State is the worst state in education. How can this state that is the historical bedrock of learning be rated so low?  Sheikh Usmanu Danfodiyo of blessed memory established the Danfodiyo dynasty on the basis of knowledge which is the most critical ingredient for the foundation of the Danfodiyo dynasty. So, how can we say 200 years after, all the evidences of learning in terms of the books produced by Danfodiyo, his son Muhammadu Bello and his brother Abdullahi Fodiyo have faded off? That is not acceptable. So, if voted into power, we will tackle the problems facing education from the primary up to the university level. Take for instance when you talk about scholarship, the government made a principle that it will provide scholarship to students. But, such promises are usually not fulfilled.

    So, we believe that we will strategically tackle that. We will bring the best brains we have from primary school to the tertiary level, so that the state can compete favourably with other states. We will design a system that will bring the best out of us.

    As a stakeholder, have you in anyway proffered solution to the government in these areas you have identified?

    The problem is that we do not have a listening government. Even when we were both members of the same political party, the state government never considered us as stakeholders in the system. The best we can do is to get them out and then take charge.

    Do you see the emergence of the APC flag bearer, Alhaji Aminu Tambuwal as a threat to your aspiration?

    Honestly, I do not see it that way. We know from the onset that he (Tambuwal) is one of the possible contenders of the APC ticket. For that, we built our strategies in such a manner that anybody that the APC pushes forward, we believe that we have an edge over him and can be able to face any of their candidates. I believe that when he emerged we did not have any cause to be apprehensive. We only considered it as one of the natural cause of the event. So, we will go ahead and fight the APC until we take over the state.

  • NUEE blames firms for poor power supply

    The National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) has blamed  owners of privatised power companies for poor power supply.

    Speaking to journalists in Lagos, its General Secretary, who also doubles as the Deputy President of the National Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Joe Ajaero, explained that profit motive had been a key factor militating against the performance of the private power sector.

    “Because the private owners are interested and thinking about maximising profit, they needed to reduce workforce and increase electricity tariff.

    “Unfortunately, the end result is constant decrease in power supply. A year before the privatisation, we met with President Goodluck Jonathan and gave analysis that power transmission and infrastructure should be improved upon by the state, because  if the private sector should be mandated to do it, they would have to borrow money from the banks at an interest rate that will be a burden on the consumers.

    He said: “However, if the government were sincere about the privatisation exercise, it should have massively mobilised for the availability of prepaid meters, thereby enabling a proper billing to which also I am sure that distribution companies would not want to absolutely subscribe to because they will not be able to realise their desired objective of maximising profit.”

    He emphasised the need for prepaid metering to address the issue of estimated billings.

  • Power supply drops to 2,954.51MW

    Power supply drops to 2,954.51MW

    THE energy sent out by the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI) has dropped to 2,954.51 megawatts (MW).

    The Federal Ministry of Power stated this on its website at the weekend, in the record of power generation and transmission in the market as at December 11.

    There was no disclosure of what the market actually delivered to electricity consumers from the electricity distribution companies.

    But it was certain that what got to the customers would be less than 2,954.51 megawatts, following weak and insufficient transformers and other obsolete equipment at the distribution end.

    Of the 3,271.12MW that the electricity generation companies produced on December 11, the transmission company only evacuated 2,954.51MW, leaving 64.01MW stranded.

    The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) responsible for transmitting power to the distribution companies was said to possess the capacity for 6,000MW.

    According to the statistics, power generation reduced from 3,271.21MW on December 2 to 3,018.52MW on December 11. This was an indication that power generation dipped within nine days by 252.69MW.

    The statistics also showed that the peak power generation that was 3,554.60MW on December 2 dropped to 3,385.9MW on December 11.

    Peak energy demand forecast for the market, according to the statistics, is 12,800MW.

  • Will N213b cash stabilise power?

    Will N213b cash stabilise power?

    In collaboration with the Ministry of Petroleum Resources and other stakeholders, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has instituted the N213 billion Nigerian Electricity Market Stabilisation Facility (NEMSF). The facility will be used to settle legacy gas debts in the power sector. The financial leverage is expected to result in improved power supply, reports COLLINS NWEZE .

    For the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), stable power supply is essential for its key intervention projects to succeed. But theinability of the power companies to improve electricity supply is a clog in the exercise.

    To CBN Governor Godwin Emefiele, the challenge faced by power sector reforms can be linked to unattractive pricing of domestic gas and legacy debts that are inhibiting  investment in gas supply and infrastructure.

    Also, affecting positive feed back on the reforms are anomalies in the tariff regime that does not allow the true cost of supplying electricity to be known as well as difficulties across the value chain in addressing capacity issues primarily due to a shortfall in revenues.

    He admitted that aside these hitches, the power sector reform is successfully being implemented with most of the milestones fully achieved. Presently, generation and distribution in the electricity industry is being managed by the private sector while the transmission network is government owned, under a management contract.

    For him, the observed challenges are interconnected with the unexpectedly large revenue shortfalls in the industry, which needed to be fixed.  That made the CBN boss to institute the Nigerian Electricity Market Stabilisation Facility (NEMSF) where N213 billion has been mapped out to settle legacy gas debts and shortfalls in revenue for operators to boost power supply.

    The CBN, he said, is collaborating with the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Ministry of Power and Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) to achieve the objective. Such feat, he said, would boost liquidity conditions in the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI) and address hiccups that characterised the posts-privatisastion of the power sector of the economy.

    The Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, said during the signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with stakeholders in Abuja, that the intervention was initiated to move the sector forward.

    She said: “In the last few weeks, the CBN, NERC and Federal Ministries of Petroleum as well as Power have been collaborating to develop lasting solution to the challenge of gas supply.”

    According to her, the interventions started with an increase in gas to power price to levels considered more commercial than before and at par with export parity. Gas transmission tariff for gas supplied to power was also increased to reflect commercial rates and enable private investment in infrastructure.

    The agreement was signed between the Federal Government and Generation and distribution companies, Independent Power Producers (IPPs), International Oil Companies (IOCs), and the Nigeria Gas Company (NGC), for the supply of gas in order to clear the hiccups.

     

    Debt settlement begins

    The CBN had last month, offset N36.9 billon legacy debt owed to gas suppliers by the power sector under the defunct Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) over the last few years.

    This debt settled through the CBN was part of the N213 billion intervention fund. While the N36.9 billion was disbursed to settle gas supplies, the balance will go to generation and distribution companies, to complement the revenue shortfall.

     

    The NEMSF in perspective

    According to the CBN, the NEMSF will be administered through deposit money banks and disbursed at the rate of 10 per cent per annum while the tenor shall not be more than 10 years.

    Also, a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) that complies with section 31 of CBN Act 2007 will serve as an intermediary between the banks and the electricity market players while the Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) shall reset the Multi Year Tariff Order (MYTO) to ensure that it provides for the loan repayment including the costs of setting up and operating the NEMSF.

    The other power sector value chain players must also agree to specific service related commitments which include ensuring that gas suppliers commit to assured gas supply at higher volumes; generating companies (GENCOs) and Distribution Companies (DISCOs) must commit to utilising the funds for equipment/infrastructure acquisition, refurbishment and/or upgrade.

    The rule also include that all parties that are licensed by the NERC to operate in the electricity market should accept to be immediately bound by performance agreements signed with the relevant authorities including the Bureau of Public Enterprise (BPE).

    Specifically, all parties will also be subject to additional oversight mechanism to be developed by NERC and CBN to ensure business continuity and that all power sector players meet obligations that are critical for continued electricity supply.

     

    Bankers’ Committee speaks

    The Banker’s Committee had at its August meeting in Lagos agreed that leaving the gas supplying firms bugged down with the debt makes nonsense of huge funding already committed to the power projects. Local banks were estimated to have committed N320 billion out of the N400 billion realised from sale of PHCN assets by the Federal Government

    The Nation findings showed that many of the banks that raised huge capital to fund power projects are already counting loses because of poor cash flow arising from gas shortage. The lenders are now being more cautious in lending to power, until the gas challenge is resolved. A quick resolution is expected to revive the attractiveness of the subsector to the lenders and create room for fresh loans and improved profitability.

    The Managing Director, Ecobank Nigeria, Jibril Aku said the Committee resolved to  key into the legacy debt  settlement scheme that would enhance gas supply and boost power supply in the country. Aku said the banks will recover the fund from the MYTO deductions.

    He said the Bankers’ Committee is willing to support an initiative with government, where a SPV will be set up to provide loans to clear that debt and overtime, the loan will be recovered through MYTO tariff deduction. The CBN will play a key role in assisting the banks to do that.

    The Ecobank chief said the whole essence of the power transformation is to achieve efficiency and ability to improve power supply, which have been hindered by gas shortage. “Obviously, gas coming into the power stations would affect the revenue. Many of the operators have not raised their production capacity because of shortage of gas,” he said.

    He said the gas companies have always be agitating that this debt be paid, otherwise, they will not produce and will begin to accumulate new debts.

    He said the committee believes that most of the problems of gas-to- power would be resolved and Nigeria will begin to see a generating company that is inspired to increase the power generation.

    Already, the CBN has engaged the services of FBN Capital (Transaction Advisor), Meristem Securities (Fund Manager) and Detail Solicitors and Stream Sowers & Kohn (SSK) as legal team for the transactions.

     

    What the banks are doing

    Global infrastructure giant General Electric and Standard Bank recently had a $350 million infrastructure financing agreement for Africa. In a statement, the bank said the partnership seeks to provide affordable access to power infrastructure to augment traditional large scale grid capacity development. The partnership will target Nigeria, Angola, Tanzania, South Africa and Ghana. Others are Kenya, Mozambique, Uganda, Ethiopia and South Sudan. Financing activity will center on project finance, equipment finance, trade finance and advisory.

    Speaking at a ceremony to announce the partnership, President and CEO of GE Africa Jay Ireland said the partnership comes at the right time when there are concerted efforts to boost access to energy across the continent. He said partnerships of this nature would certainly support efforts by respective governments in finding captive power solutions to meet the growing demand for alternative fuels.

    Chief Executive, Stanbic IBTC Holdings, Mrs. Sola David-Borha said the bank was committed to partnerships of this nature that help energize the sector. She said the power challenges identified in the focus countries for this partnership were opportunities for growth through sustainable investment. She also disclosed that through the partnership, financing will also be available for off-grid solutions that rely on cleaner fuels such as biomass and biogas across Sub-Saharan Africa.

    Likewise, the United Bank for Africa Plc (UBA) said it has so far extended $700 million, about N113 billion, in funding to different investors towards the acquisition of power assets in Nigeria’s recently privatised power sector. The bank’s Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Phillips Oduoza said: “It is a growth sector we are playing very big” said Oduoza.

    Another lender, Ecobank Nigeria said it will invest $25 billion in five years to help solve Nigeria’s power sector crisis. Ecobank Country Head, Power & Energy, Olufunke Jones said the investment is in line with its policy to support the growth and development of the power sector in Nigeria.

    She said it has played a major role on the buy-side of the power sector privatisation exercise by providing financial advisory services, lead arranger role,  acquisitioning financing and guarantees to DISCOS, GENCOS and National Integrated Power Plants (NIPP).

    She said: “Nigeria has one of the largest gaps between demand and supply for electricity. To bridge this gap the country requires a combination of favorable government policies, private sector participation and Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) as well as transparency and persistent monitoring that will guarantee an improved business environment”.

    Zenith Bank Plc said it expects to increase loans to the privatised power companies. The lender said loans to the power sector may rise to 10 per cent of the bank’s loan book by year-end, up from 4.3 per cent in the third quarter and 1.3 per cent at the end of June, last year. The value of Zenith Bank’s loans to power companies was about N40 billion after the handovers.

    Zenith Bank gave loans to companies including Eko Electricity Distribution Company and Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company both in Lagos State. “As we review the companies and we see viable propositions, yes we will” expand loans to the industry, the bank said.

    Nigeria, in its development objective to rank amongst the top 20 economies of the world by the year 2020, targets an ambitious 40,000 Megawatts (Mw) of electricity generation, which represents more than half of the current installed capacity on the African continent.

    With a population surpassing over 170 million, its current maximum electricity generation capacity – approximately 4,500 Mw – is inadequate to meet demand estimated at 10,000 Mw. Achieving this target, analysts said, depends on how successful the NEMSF project turns out based on supports from banks and other stakeholders.