As the country continues to suffer from appalling electricity supply which dates back to several weeks with its attendant negative ripple effects on the country, stakeholders have lamented that Nigeria never had any real electricity in its entire history.
On Tuesday, the country generated 2100MWs, according to media reports; however, industry observers have pointed out that most of it will be lost to poor transmission failure.
The country has been in darkness during the two quarters of the year and the reason is due to inadequate gas supply to power stations. The hydro-power plants say they don’t have enough water as the rainy season is just starting.
Poor electricity supply has always been the Nigerian tragedy. All past leaders were blamed for one reason or the other for failure to provide electricity.
The stakeholders said the only radical approach that could have broken the circle of darkness was what former president Jonathan bungled through sheer cronyism and alleged corruption.
Recall that former president Olusegun Obasanjo helped to repeal the old electricity law and unbundled NEPA with the 2005 Electric Power Sector Reform Act (EPSR Act). He created 18 successor companies: six power generation companies,12 distribution companies covering all 36 Nigerian states, and a national power transmission company.
The Act stipulated that ownership of these companies be granted to the Bureau for Public Enterprises (BPE), and the Ministry of Finance.
This unbundling process was to pave the way for a privatisation program that was to be handled by the BPE. However, Obasanjo left office before completing the process. Late President Yar’adua, who came thereafter, never had the chance because of ill-health. He died and Goodluck Jonathan took over.
That was when the country’s power tragedy started. Jonathan continued the process but made a complete mess of it, as it was alleged that the BPE never had a free hand.
The selling of power plants and the creation of the power distribution companies (DisCos) became a national shame because of the distortion and corruption associated with it. People with no money, experience, or interest in power generation and distribution were sold the derelict NEPA and given billions of dollars to operate. Reputable companies like B+B,GE and Siemens were chased away in preference for obscure and unregistered companies.
This, according to the stakeholders, landed the country where it is today.
