From Ighomuaye Lucky, Benin
A group, Network of Civil Society Organisations (NOCSON), has called on the Minister of Power, Mr Adebayo Adelabu, to resign over gross inefficiencies in the power sector.
The president of the group, Emmanuel Ogbidi, said that despite the warning by the national assembly to the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) not to increase the electricity tarrif, the body still went ahead to the detriment of the poor Nigerians.
He made the call while being honoured with the award of the “Outstanding Activist of the Year” by the BA Global Consult in Benin City.
He said increasing the electricity tarrif for certain band or otherwise will make the people suffer the more because the burden will be passed on to the masses.
“If not, Mr President should do the needful to issue him an immediate sack letter because he has demonstrated the height of cluelessness as what it needs to take to resolve the power problem in Nigeria because if you ask me, the indiscriminate billings of Band A customers is not a solution to the power problem in Nigeria.
“Increasing the electricity tarrif is not a solution to power issue in Nigeria. There is no way you will increase the electricity tarrif of a certain quarter, say Band A that it will not have a negative effect or that it will not have a direct or indirect effects on the common man.
“Take for example, a federal institution like the university around us here, who last month in March, their electricity tarrif was N80 million.
“After the increment, in the month of April, they gave them N280 million as electricity bill. Where are they going to get that money? They are going to fall back to taxing and billing the students in the higher institutions and by extension, the parents.
“So, there is no way you will increase a tarrif that will not have a ripple effect on the masses”, Ogbidi said.
Comrade Ogbidi said that President Bola Tinubu should emulate the examples of the Tanzania and South Africa to resolve the nation’s power’s challenge.
“Look at Tanzania for example, in 2023 December, the country, close to the Christmas season, had power issue and the president sacked all the electricity board members and gave an ultimatum for the power problem to be resolved.
“In April 2024, that is four months later, Tanzania has to shutdown one of their hydro electricity power plant to avoid excessive power supply. As we speak, Tanzania has more than enough.
“South Africa took the same drastic action and that problem has been resolved”, Ogbidi added.
He however asked of the several reforms that have taken place in the power sector without any meaningful results.
“So, finance or funding is not the problem of power solution in Nigeria. What has happened to the numerous power reforms and funds that have been injected into the power sector in Nigeria over the years either directly or indirectly from customers?
” I remember, from customers, at a time we were paying N700 fixed charge, billions of dollars were invested, there were privatization into various Discos, investors who were coming were going to fund the sector, what has happened to it? He asked rhetorically.
He called on Mr President to do the needful to issue an immediate sack letter to the Minister of Power because he has demonstrated the height of cluelessness in handling the issue of power in the country.