Mary Onyia
The Senate has threatened to wield its big stick by initiating legislative measures to annul the privatisation policy of the power sector over dismal performance by Nigeria’s electricity distribution companies known as DisCos, and the Transmission Company of Nigeria, TCN, since privatisation of the power sector.
The Senate described the performance of the power sector as a failure, when the chairman of the Committee on Power, Senator Eyinnaya Abaribe submitted his report for consideration.
Abaribe said: “the DisCos have largely failed to deliver reliable electricity to Nigerians.”
The Senate, after intense deliberations on the persistent collapse of the national grid and gross inefficiencies in Nigeria’s power sector, questioned the effectiveness of the 2013 privatisation program, which aimed to improve power supply through private sector involvement.
Abaribe in his report presentation highlighted the financial losses incurred each time the grid collapses.
According to him, restarting a power plant costs approximately $7.5 million. With three plants in operation, the total cost per grid collapse amounts to $25 million.
On his part, Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, criticised the privatisation of the power sector, questioning its efficiency.
He noted that despite privatisation, distribution companies could not meet consumer demands, leading to deteriorating service quality.
“Why do governors and individuals have to buy transformers and then hand them over to DisCos and still pay for installation,” Akpabio queried.
Speaking, Adams Oshiomhole (Edo North) expressed regret over his earlier support for privatisation, describing the process as ill-conceived and ill-executed.
He lamented that consumers are forced to pay for services not rendered.
The motion was subsequently withdrawn to allow for actionable and comprehensive recommendations.
The Senate Committee on Power has six weeks to strategies on how DisCos and TCN can improve their services to the people.
Meanwhile, customers of Ikeja Electricity Plc hoping to get free replacement meters in exchange for their old ones may have to wait a bit longer, as the company clarified that it had no ‘free’ meters to give.
Ikeja Electricity Plc, made this known recently at their monthly virtual Stakeholders meeting.
Recall that the Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC, had earlier issued a statement directing the DisCos to provide free replacement meters for customers with the old Unister meters.
But in total defiance to those directives, Ikeja Electricity pointedly told the customers that the company made no provision for free replacement meter and urged customers whose old meters are still functional to continue with them or better still opt to buy the new ones, as they wish. The company advised customers with obsolete meters to either go ahead and pay for new ones or wait till when the company has available ‘free’ meters for them, noting that for now, no provision has been made.