Senate To Probe Power Sector Under Obasanjo, Jonathan

Fri, Aug 14, 2015
By publisher
3 MIN READ

Political Briefs

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THE Senate on Thursday, August 13, set up a 13-member ad-doc committee to carry out a comprehensive investigation into the management of funds so far appropriated for the power sector since 1999.

The committee, headed by Abubakar Kyari, a senator, was also given the task of probing the unbundling of the defunct Power Holding Company of Nigeria by the federal government. The committee was given two weeks to do its assignment.

The Senate took the decision while passing a motion sponsored by Ali Ndume, Senate leader, seeking the immediate reconnection of some parts of Borno State back to the national grid in view of the challenges the blackout was posing to the state.

After the debate on the issue, Bukola Saraki, Senate president, noted that the inadequate power supply in the country was a cause for concern, saying it had affected the economic growth of the nation.

He observed that the lack of power supply had plunged the country into further hardship, besides corruption. Saraki said: “We thought that with the Power Reform Act and the unbundling of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria, we will begin to see improvement with regard to power supply; unfortunately, it is not so.

“The Ad Hoc Committee that we set up should look at the activities of the Discos and what is preventing Nigerians from benefitting from the unbundling of the PHCN.”

The Senate urged the federal government to complete the Mambilla Power Project with the aim of improving electricity supply in the country.

It called on President Muhammadu Buhari to direct the Transmission Company of Nigeria to immediately reconnect Maiduguri to the national grid.

The senators, while contributing to the debate, also condemned the inability of the TCN to provide uninterrupted power supply to all parts of the country.

Ndume had expressed concern that Nigeria, with a population of over 150 million, produced only 4,600 megawatts, while South Africa with a population of about 40 million people produced 40,000 megawatts.

He observed that the disconnection of Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, from the national grid, as well as the degeneration of power supply across the country had affected the economy negatively.

Ndume also expressed concern that with an installed power generation potential of about 5,000 megawatts, the output distributed currently was about 1,950 megawatts.

He added that it was disheartening to note that Iran with over 77 million people “generates about 42,000 megawatts, while South Korea with over 49 million people generates about 60,000 megawatts of electricity.”

—  Aug 24, 2015 @ 01:00 GMT

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