President
Buhari says that the poor power situation in Nigeria is no longer a
laughing matter. Buhari said this while declaring open the National
Economic Council retreat in Abuja yesterday March 21st.
“Nigerians’
favourite talking point and butt of jokes is the power situation in our
country. But, ladies and gentlemen, it is no longer a laughing matter.
We must and by the grace of God we will put things right. In the three
years left for this administration we have given ourselves the target of
ten thousand megawatts distributable power.
In 2016
alone, we intend to add two thousand megawatts to the national grid.
This sector has been privatized but has yet to show any improvement in
the quality of service. Common public complaints are: Constant power
cuts destroying economic activity and affecting quality of life, High
electricity bills despite power cuts, Low supply of gas to power plants
due to vandalization by terrorists, Obsolete power distribution
equipment such as transformers, Power fluctuations, which damage
manufacturing equipment and household appliances, Low voltage which
cannot run industrial machinery. These are some of the problems, which
defied successive governments. In our determination to change we must
and will, insha Allah, put a stop to power shortages. Key points to look
at here are: Privatization. We are facing the classic dilemma of
privatization: Public interest Vs Profit Motive. Having started, we must
complete the process. But National Electricity Regulatory Commission
(NERC), the regulatory authority, has a vital job to ensure consumers
get value for money and over-all public interest is safe-guarded"he said
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