Lagos – Some experts in the power sector on Wednesday identified avoidable challenges that had continued to frustrate government’s effort at sustaining steady power supply in the country.
The experts, who spoke as panelists at the 2nd West Africa Power Summit (WAPS) in Nigeria said the identified challenges were responsible for the current poor power distribution.
The theme of the one-day summit was “Developing Sustainable Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution Networks for West Africa’’.
Mr Michael Uzoigwe, Group Leader, Generation of Sahara Power Group, said that privatisation of Nigeria’s electricity distribution was fraught with many challenges.
Uzoigwe also said that the prevailing economic situation in the country was making it difficult for consumers to pay their electricity, thereby frustrating operations of the distribution companies.
“Nigerians should know that if they must use electricity, they must be prepared to pay for it.
“We really have to do a lot of re-orientation of Nigerians for them to know that electricity has become commercialised,’’ he said.
Uzoigwe listed other problems to include high foreign exchange rate, low and non-reflective tariff, high incidence of metre bypass, low industrial capacity and shutting of industries.
He also noted that there were a lot of sharp practices in the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity.
Mrs Ifey Ikeonu, former Chairperson of ECOWAS Regional Regulatory Authority (ERRA), noted that there was a great deal of electricity wastage in Nigeria.
“We still have electrical appliances that are not energy efficient. We therefore, need to make consumers aware of all these.
“There is also the need for our discussion to do a lot more awareness,’’ she said.
Ikeonu also said that the continuous stealing of electricity in the country was going to be a disincentive to many solution companies.
Mr Nosa Igbinedion, an official of Eko Electricity Distribution Plc., said that there was inadequate generation of electricity.
Igbinedion said that it was imperative for government at all levels to intensify their sanctions against electricity theft in communities.
Dr Samson Bada, a council member of Fossil Fuel Foundation of Africa, South Africa, recommended that Nigerians should begin to embrace the use coal as an alternative source of power supply.
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