Politics
… attributes it to lack of strong political will power
By Anthony Isibor
PETER Obi has expressed pain at how Nigeria; the giant of Africa, has not been able to solve its electricity challenges, while other African countries continue to achieve milestones in the sector.
Obi, who made the assertion on Friday through his official Twitter handle @peterObi in response to Tanzania’s recent decision to shut down five hydroelectric stations to reduce excess electricity in the national grid wondered, why Nigeria has not been able to successfully power a single city.
According to him, Tanzania’s decision to shut down these power stations stemmed from the fact that their electricity production was already enough to power their major cities and give electricity access to the rural dwellers.
He explained that a World Bank report has shown that strong political will and commitment have been responsible for rapid electricity access in Tanzania, which has seen electricity access move from 7% in 2011 to almost 40% (37.7%) in 2020, during which about 75% (73.2%) of urban dwellers gained access to electricity and about 25% (24.5%) of rural areas gained access to electricity.
He further quoted a similar report in June 2023, which showed that about 70 per cent of 40 million Tanzanians living in rural areas have received access to electricity, signifying a monumental growth in the sector, while regrettably Nigeria’s situation remains the opposite.
According to him, in Nigeria, 60% of over 200 million people live without access to electricity, referring to a 2022 Energy Progress Report.
Considering the economic loss resulting from lack of access to electricity in Nigeria, which remains immeasurable and with the recent electricity tariff increase, one would expect that we would be able, at least, to power one major city in each geo-political zone soon and increase our overall access both in the urban and rural areas,
Obi therefore called on the government to sanitize and rescue the sector for the good of the nation, nothing that if “Tanzania could achieve such a milestone in power generation, then Nigeria can do it even better,
with competent and committed leadership.
“A stable power sector is very critical for the journey to a New Nigeria, to which we remain committed,” he added.
A.I
Tags: Peter Obi
