By Dickson Okafor

Coordinator of Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation (NIDO), Guangzhou, China chapter Mr. Festus Mbisiogu, has expressed sadness over increasing numbers of deaths as a result of generator fumes.

In a keynote address presented to the Nigeria community in Guangzhou, China during a recent retreat organized by Good Governance Initiative (GGI), The president, GGI and CEO, Blue Diamond Logistics, China wondered why the power capacity of the world’s eight biggest oil exporter had plummeted so badly over the years. He regretted that many Nigerians rely on electric generator for powering their homes and businesses.

This, he said, has led to an upsurge in the use of generators and that has increased deaths from generator fumes. He said the deaths highlight the worsening power crisis in Africa’s top oil producer and called on governments at all levels to create awareness on how generators should be used to prevent further deaths.

Mbisiogu said GGI would continue to champion the cause of the actualization of uninterrupted power supply. He said the GGI had made suggestions on how the group could partner with the government to fix electricity problems facing the country

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He recalled how most families lost their breadwinners to poor power supply and urged the federal government to declare a state of emergency in the power sector. Mbisiogu also submitted that lack of steady power was the major factor limiting industrial growth and causing unemployment in the country. He said it was time the government began to compensate families of Nigerians killed by generator fumes. He warned that GGI would lead other Nigerians to compel government to demand compensation for relations of victims of generator fumes through legal means.

He noted that with the current minimum wage of N18, 000 per month for civil servants, it was impossible for a family of six to feed and fuel their generators with less than N600 a day.

He said: “A litre of fuel sells for N145 in a nation where even the meagre N18, 000 minimum wage cannot be paid by several state governments as and when due, as over 20 states owe workers backlog of arrears.”

He advised all tiers of government to establish an agency that would be saddled with responsibility of enlightening the public on the proper way of using generators so as to prevent further deaths.

While highlighting how air pollution from the burning of solid fuels kills at least 3000 Nigerians yearly, he said the figure would have reduced if there were more efficient power supply. He stressed that the resultant effects of the power failure pose danger, noting that it was hazardous to human health.