No end in sight to electricity crisis in Nigeria for now – Senate

House of Senate

Senate Committee Chairman on Privatization, Ben Murray Bruce has given a shocking revelation on Wednesday that there was no solution to electricity crisis in Nigeria for now.
He was reacting to a motion raised by Senator Dino Melaye representing Kogi West Senatorial district over epileptic power supply and exploitative activities of some power distribution companies.

Dino explained: “Mr President, distinguished colleagues, I want to draw the attention of the Senate to the exploitative activities of some power distribution companies by over-billing the citizens for energy not consumed.”
Saddened by the unfortunate development in power industry despite huge resources government had invested, Senate Ben Bruce explained that, “there was no solution in sight,” to the epileptic supply of electricity in the country.
He also pointed that the private investors never envisaged the free fall of the nation’s local currency, a situation he said had contributed to sustained epileptic power supply.

He said apart from lacking the capacity to run power company, the investors came into the business erroneously, assuming that government would subsidize the power sector.
The DISCOs according to Bruce are “technically bankrupt” and as such cannot afford to pay for millions of meters needed for accurate billing system.
“We have a catastrophe in our hands and there will be no electricity in the current arrangement,” he said while asking that Nigeria revisits the entire privatization process.

Melaye had in his motion urged the Senate to mandate the committee on Power to look into the astronomical electricity billing by DISCOs across the country.
He also asked the Senate to urge the National Electricity Regulatory Commission to call DISCOS to stop forth with the practice of estimated billing and alive in their regulatory role of protecting electricity customers.
Chairman, Senate Committee on Power, Eyinnaya Abaribe told the senate that a report on the matter is waiting to be laid; requesting it to suspend further debate on the matter until the details of his committee findings is considered.
Meanwhile, all the prayers were sustained.