Dr. John Kome, a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain, has described power failure in Nigeria as an “endemic energy disease”, noting that it has defied every measure so far adopted by the Federal Government.
Dr. Kome, the PDP’s candidate for the 2023 House of Assembly election for the Ikeja Constituency 1 in Lagos, maintained that there could be a spiritual dimension to the problem. He wondered how anyone could justify the promises of successive administrations and governments and their cognitive approach to solving Nigeria’s energy quagmire.
Kome stated this in a chat with Sunday Independent and urged President Bola Tinubu to declare a state of emergency on the power sector. Kome said: “Come to think of it, Obasanjo’s government, Yar’Adua’s administration, former President Goodluck Jonathan and the Buhari government all voted billions of US dollars to the energy ‘demon’ with little or no tangible deliverance.
“The big question is: Why is it that no previous government has tackled this energy problem headlong over the past years? “Moreover, who are the people eating fat from this energy crisis overtime and why have they not been made to vomit what has been swallowed over these long torturous years in Nigeria’s energy history?
“One truth for sure is that no government can Renew Our Hope as a people without first and foremost curing the energy disease. Electricity is the foundation for economic and infrastructural development of any nation.
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu should face the Nigeria Energy Demon (NED) and conquer it once and for all, else every other campaign promise will merely be a political routine.
“I have for the past two decades been following the Ghanaian energy situation and have amazingly seen how successive governments of John Mahama and that of Akufo Addo have lifted Ghana out of their energy crisis in partnership with Russia and others.”
While agreeing with Kome that declaring a state of emergency in the power sector was in order, Abdullahi Oluwakemi Akinsanya, a veteran expert in banking, stated: “On Wednesday, February 14, 2024, the power minister gave an insight into the state of our power supply.
“The following are what he gave at the press conference as the causes of the challenges confronting the power sector.
“There is a shortage of gas supply because the gas companies are owed $1.3 billion. Between December 2023 and now, we have experienced 23 times of grid collapses due to the fact that some machines are aging.
“There is a low capacity to evacuate generated power from the Gencos to the Discos. On top of that, Gencos are also owed N1.3 billion debt.
“The minister also revealed that for solution, the NERC states that some N2.9 trillion power subsidy is needed to help assuage the situation just this year also whereas a paltry N450 billion has been provided in the current year’s budget.
“However, the minister failed to disclose that in the midst of what we are currently experiencing on account of the fuel subsidy removal, the IMF has come to insist that all forms of subsidies must be removed by the government.
“On what President Bola Tinubu can do to reverse the declining situation, if there is seriousness, sincerity, honesty, truthfulness and a very good management of scarce resources, ample solutions are inherently clear from the stated challenges highlighted above.
“Just remove the unnecessary outside interference from the neo-liberal foreign agencies. All the challenges given by the minister are obviously not insurmountable.”
Dr Felix Nwosu, a public affairs commentator, stated: “To be candid, the state of electric power and the economy is really embarrassing.
“I do not see the magic the current Federal Government administration could do to remedy the situation until they decentralise electric power and the economy.
“If that is not done mafias in politics and the private sector will continue to sabotage electric power and the economy to spite the ruling party.
“The present Minister of Power made a press statement a few days ago that the enemies of Nigeria do not want light to be stable.
“He said that within the short period he has been in office, those mafias in the power sector refused to let the light work.
“He said that he and his team had carried out some repairs on the national grid and to his surprise, as he and his team left the place, these mafias went behind and destroyed all their efforts.
“This, he said, had been done eight times to the detriment of his service delivery to his fatherland, Nigeria. The same thing is applicable to the Nigeria economy.
“President Ahmed Bola Tinubu needs to decentralise the power sector for states to generate their own electricity and equally generate their own resources.
“If this is done, all this nonsense will stop and Nigeria will move forward and Nigerians will surely enjoy peace and progress.
“But, powers at the centre will not allow these to come to play in Nigeria because politics here is big business. The businessmen and women in power will do anything humanly possible to stop it from taking place.
“Nigeria’s mineral resources are not bad, but governance made them bad. Nigeria’s economy is not bad. Governance made it bad. So, Nigerians’ frustration is their own fortune.
“Until the one that is God sent comes on board and changes this, their recycling chain that never allowed things to work in Nigeria, electric power and Nigerian economy.
“Unless the president Ahmed bola Tinubu GCFR wants to be and act as that God sent then things will change, but my fears were that he said he would continue from where the former administration stopped.
“If that will play then Nigerians are in a bigger trouble situation and should be ready for more pains and hopelessness until the next election. God bless Nigeria.”
Ambassador Dr K. O. Emmanuel, Lagos State chapter President, International Human Rights Protection Service, Naples, Florida, USA, stated: “Honestly, the continuous deterioration of electric power supply in the country and its effects on the people and the economy are agonising.
“What l think President Bola Tinubu should do to change the situation is to put himself in the shoes of the poor and the suffering Nigerians. Though, the anticipated change may not be automatic because he is not a magician.
“However, the epileptic power supply has been prevalent for several decades. None of the past presidents was competent enough to halt the continued deterioration of electric power in the country.
“The solution to this is for him to hunt down the people sabotaging consistent power supply to be enjoyed in the country which has had great devastating effects on the economy of the country.
“Secondly, study should be carried out on why other countries are sustainable. Well-developed power supply system.
“Thirdly, the government should devise bold steps towards enhancing and resuscitating the highly deteriorated power supply in the country.
“Even if it means sending some people to prison to succeed, that would be good. All we want is result-oriented action.
“It has unpleasant effects on the people and the economy. In the current situation of heat, there is no power supply even to preserve fruits and foods in the fridge.
“No economy grows anywhere in the world without constant power supply. This is the greatest thing each country needs and food on the table.
“Epileptic power supply has taken away numerous lives because in hospitals the equipment requires power supply to operate them.
“If the Tinubu’s administration would pay attention to the power sector, it would be a plus to him.
“Let him bear in mind that it is the fundamental human right of the citizens to enjoy power supply, just as himself is enjoying, both in Aso Rock and in his private residence.”
Dr Victor Mathew, a security expert, is the Executive Director, Kingdom Advocacy Network (KAN), “Power is very critical in any country. It is very unfortunate that Nigeria has been suffering from power challenges.
“It is very shameful that a country with over 200 million persons has never been able to exceed 5 megawatts of power generation.
“China produces over 5 million megawatts. The USA produces over 4 million megawatts.
“The government should declare a state of emergency in power. The government has to get investors to deal with the problem of grid collapse, which is very embarrassing to us as a nation.
“The government will also have to harness solar power generation by investing in it massively, either directly or giving incentives to investors.
“Governments at the sub-national levels must also begin to invest in power generation and distribution because power is now in the Concurrent List of the constitution.
“The government should review the agreements with the GENCOS and DISCOS with a view to either terminate the licenses of those not performing and licensing new ones.”
By Ejikeme Omenazu
