By Sani Adamu
Unarguably, the provision of stable and uninterrupted power supply is key for accelerated economic and industrial development of any country.
Analysts are quick to point out that Nigeria’s quest to become one of the 20th economies in the world may as well be a mirage without stable electricity supply.
They say that stable electricity supply will reduce the cost of manufacturing and services; boost investment and employment, among others.
However, in spite of its importance, efforts to guarantee sustainable stability in the power supply chain has remained elusive despite huge investments in the sector by successive administrations since independence.
For instance, available records showed that the Obasanjo’s government spent over three billion dollars on its National Integrated Power Project (NIPP) as at 2007.
This, according to Gov. Gabriel Suswam of Benue, the Chairman, Joint Transaction Technical Committee, is out of the over 10 billion dollars earmarked for the NIPP.
He said that the amount was also inclusive of the two billion dollars Federal Government’s counterpart funding for Mambilla Hydro Power project and the 1.4 billion dollars set aside for additional nine turbines plants.
At the moment, four of the projects which on completion would generate 4,774MW, had been completed, while six others are at 80 to 90 per cent completion.
To further boost the initiative, the President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration has strengthened the power sector reform by fully privatising the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN).
The exercise eventually resulted in the unbundling of the PHCN and the establishment of power Distributing Companies (DISCOs) across the country.
Although the reform is yet to significantly improve power stability nationwide, the World Bank, however, applauded the government for the initiative, with a call on other African countries to emulate the policy.
Mr Mukhtar Diop, the bank’s Vice President, Africa, made the commendation while listing some infrastructural achievements in Africa, during the recent African Union Summit on Financing Infrastructure Development, in Dakar, Senegal.
According to him, the power reform is one of the ways of solving Africa’s problems by Africans.
“We must commend the leadership in Nigeria for the successful completion of the privatisation of the country’s power sector.
“The electric reform in that country is one of the ways of solving Africa’s problems by Africans. We commend the country for that.”
It is, perhaps, against this backdrop, that President Goodluck Jonathan promised to restore uninterrupted power supply to Nigerians by the end of 2014.
Jonathan gave the assurance while commissioning the NIPP 500MW Omotosho II Power Station at Omotosho in Okitipupa Local Government Area of Ondo State.
He said that his optimism was based on the progress in the completion of the ongoing 10 independent power projects spread across the country.[eap_ad_1] “My administration is committed to boost electricity supply in the country. Today, we are in Ondo State to commission Omotosho Power Plant that will also serve the people of these areas and improve electricity supply in the country.”
But in spite of the government’s assurances, pundits doubt that uninterrupted and stable power supply to Nigerians would be achieved by the end of 2014.
Mr David Ladipo, whose company, Azura, is spending 700 million dollars to build a 450 MW plant in South Africa, insists that with situation on ground, it will still take Nigeria 50 years from now to enjoy stable power supply.
Ladipo told Reuters news agency that Nigeria would need about 140,000MW to guarantee stable power supply.
‘’Nigeria is still scores of years away at this threshold. At present, it generates a meagre 4,000 MW for a population estimated at 170 million.
‘’South Africa, with a population of about 50 million people, produces about 40,000 MW of electricity and has been trying in recent years to increase output.
“It will probably take Nigeria another 50 years before it attains the same level of electricity consumption per capita as South Africa currently enjoys today,” Ladipo said.
However, Gov. Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State believes that with patience and commitment, Nigerians will soon enjoy the dividends of the ongoing power sector reforms.
Fashola expressed the optimism in Lagos at the closing ceremony of the 7th Lagos Economic Summit, tagged: Ehingbeti.
According to him, the privatisation of the power sector will not be successful without the cooperation of investors and consumers.