COVER
Senate Probes GenCos, DisCos Over Power Supply
By Jude Opara, Abuja
The Senate has mandated its Committee on Power to investigate the activities of power generating and distribution companies to unravel the cause of unsteady power supply in Nigeria.
The investigating committee has four weeks within which to submit its report to the Senate for consideration.
The decision by the upper chamber to probe power generation, transmission and distribution in the country was reached sequel to a motion considered during plenary yesterday.
Sen. Chukwuka Utazi, (PDP, Enugu North) who sponsored the motion said Nigeria, with a population of 200 million and an annual growth rate of 2.
6 percent per annum, is the seventh most populous nation on earth.According to Utazi, the power generating or installed capacity of Nigeria in relation to its population and Gross Domestic Product cannot place the country to compete favourably in terms of development with other nations.
He, therefore, called on the Federal Government to find solutions to the power deficits faced by the country.
Citing Indonesia and Philippines as examples, the lawmaker noted that both countries with a population of 267 million and 107 million, respectively, have installed power capacity of 60,000 MW and generating capacity of 42,465 MW as well as installed capacity of 20,055 MW and generating capacity of 16,271ME.
The lawmaker while expressing optimism that Nigeria can set a realisable target of generating capacity of 100,000 MW in the next ten years, said same can be achieved through a mix of energy sources like natural gas, hydro, coal, wind and renewable energy.
He added that the various zones in the country are naturally positioned to take advantage of the various energy mix and renewables, particularly solar energy.
“The northern part of the country with vast expanse of land can tap into large solar farms while the southern parts of the country with significant reserves of natural gas and cola can generate power from same.
“Both the north and South have large water bodies that can still be dammed for hydro,” Utazi said.
The lawmaker further posited that Nigeria can improve on its transmission infrastructure by up-scaling its networks from the current 330kv and 132kv to 765kv super grid to enable big power plants to send power through such grid over long distances.
He added that beyond generation and transmission, Distribution Companies (DisCos) lack the financial and technical capacities required, thereby resulting in their inability to pay for power which Generation Companies (GenCos) deliver to the grid.
Underscoring the motive behind the privatization of the power sector in 2013, Utazi stressed that the objective in privatizing power distribution assets was not to achieve highest financial bids.
According to him, it is rather to get capable companies that can achieve the lowest Average Technical Commercial and Collection losses within five years.
In her contribution, Sen. Oluremi Tinubu (APC-Lagos Central) said the failure of the power sector was largely due to the refusal of the leadership of past governments to embrace new ideas.
According to her, “Government should embrace new ideas that would take Nigeria to the next level.”
Another lawmaker, Sen. Jibrin Barau (APC, Kano North) said uninterrupted power supply remains a fundamental requirement needed in a modern economy.
The lawmaker, who bemoaned previous policies particularly under the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan, said the power problems of the country remain the same despite their introduction.
He, therefore, called on the Federal Government to engage all stakeholders in the power sector with a view to coming up with workable solutions to Nigeria’s power crisis.
“We need to bring experts together to look at the power sector as a whole in a bid to realising these targets. Our companies are now being moved to Ghana, this is because of power.
“The Committee on Power should get everybody together. Government cannot do it alone. Let’s bring everybody together so we can find a lasting solution to this problem,” Barau stressed.
Sen. representing Cross River South, Gershom Bassey, said what Nigeria needs to resolve its power problem is to develop the country’s transmission infrastructure.
According to him, Nigeria’s transmission infrastructure currently lacks the capacity to withstand an increase to power generation.
The lawmaker, however, advised the Federal Government to build on existing policy frameworks inherited from past administrations.
Bala Ibn Na’Allah (APC, Kebbi ) alleged that some high placed persons were sabotaging efforts by the Federal government to fix the power problems in the country.
He said: “Some people have sworn that nothing works in the power sector and had done everything possible to frustrate efforts by government to improve power generation and distribution.
“There is need to break their strong hold on electricity generation and distribution.”
Sen. Ibrahim Gobir (APC, Sokoto) said the problem of the nation’s power sector was lack of political will, noting “our problem is lack of political will drive the power sector.”
He stressed the need to review the nation’s energy bill, noting that the generation and distribution of power could be decentralised to enable state and local government areas to participate in the sector to improve in the distribution.
Sen. Rochas Okorocha (Imo-West) cautioned that if the federal government wants to solve power problem it must concede the generation and distribution of power to Public Private participation (PPP), because of the huge capital requirement to drive the sector government can not successfully meet the nation’s power challengies.
Accordingly, the Senate urged the Federal Government to upgrade the transmission infrastructure of Nigeria’s power grid for a more efficient transmission of power.
While advocating for 100,000 megawatts installed capacity to match size of Nigeria’s economy and population, it further urged Federal Government to break-up the power distribution companies into smaller, more manageable distribution companies for optimal performance.
The lawmakers also urged the Federal Government to devise power generation models that are embedded for economic and industrial clusters, hinging around regional grids that are semi-autonomous but interconnected to the national grid. (NAN)
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By Ubong Ukpong, Abuja
Vice Chairman of the House Committee on Environment in the House of Representatives, Rep Terseer Ugbor (APC, Benue), on Monday, said that Nigeria has been marked as a major global trafficking hub for wildlife.
Representing Kwande/Ushongo Federal Constituency, the lawmaker also decried the illegal activities of poachers and smugglers in Nigeria, adding that illegal activities like poaching and smuggling are a major sabotage to the economy and called for action to stop the trend.
Speaking at a policy dialogue on “the endangered species conservation and protection bill 2024,” Ugbor said the activities of poachers portend grave dangers to the nation’s economy, adding that biodiversity is particularly threatened by the actions of those he called wildlife criminals.
He said further that wildlife crime also fosters corruption, facilitates insecurity and presents opportunities for the spread of zoonotic diseases such as COVID-19.
He said: “Nigeria has emerged with the unenviable status as a global hub for wildlife trafficking in recent years, and continues to be considered as one. Nigeria must therefore act swiftly and work to reverse this negative status and threat to our beautiful country and the world.
“The passage of this legislation will mark a major milestone for global conservation efforts and Nigeria’s international image. The passage of this bill will also advance the legislative agenda of the 10th House of Representatives for Nigeria’s environmental sustainability.”
The proposed law, he said, aimed to “address threats to biodiversity in Nigeria and across Africa by providing a consistent and strong legal framework to put an end to wildlife trafficking. In doing this, it embodies recommendations made following a consultative and collaborative analysis of relevant Nigerian laws for addressing wildlife trafficking.”
While highlighting the importance of the dialogue, the lawmaker stressed that there was a need to ensure that Nigeria’s biodiversity is supported by strong and comprehensive endangered species legislation.
He said: “Nigeria is also a party to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora obligating the strengthening of our legal framework for biodiversity conservation and this bill seeks to give effect to those obligations.“
Although not strictly a requirement of the lawmaking process, this policy dialogue is necessary to harmonize stakeholders’ position on the bill and clear the way for its expeditious approval and adoption as law.”
By Lubem Myaornyi, Abuja
Former governor of Kaduna State Nasir El-Rufai yesterday urged President Bola Tinubu to sack appointees who are under performing.
The former governor gave the advice while speaking with journalists in Maiduguri, Borno State.
He advised the president to review policies that are not helping.
El-Rufai said, “You appoint a person into a position and he is not working according to the expectations, you should have the humility to tell him that I need a better person, go and do something else.
“What we must to do as citizens is to pray for our leaders for God to guide them to see or do what is right.
“For God to give them the humility to reverse themselves when necessary and do the right thing; that’s how society progresses.
”According to him, the Federal Government is paying more on fuel subsidies now than before.
El-Rufai who delivered a keynote address at a workshop aimed at enhancing the skills of government officials in policy implementation and human resource management in Maiduguri said, “The Federal Government is presently subsidizing fuel, a fact that may elude many.”
He endorsed the policy shift, expressing his longstanding support for withdrawal the oil subsidy.
However, he acknowledged the complexities involved in policy implementation, noting that despite initial intentions, the government found itself compelled to reinstate the subsidy due to unforeseen challenges.
He said, “Currently, the government is allocating a substantial amount for subsidy, surpassing previous levels.
“Leadership requires pragmatism. When a policy fails to yield the desired outcomes, humility dictates that adjustments be made.”
By Donald Andoor, Abuja
Former Governor of Benue State, Senator Gabriel Suswam, vying to be the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has pledged to work with critical stake holders to revive, reorganise and reposition the Party as a viable alternative ahead of the 2027 general elections.
“I know all that is involved in the PDP since I joined the party in 1998, under which I was elected as a member of the House of Representatives, then as a governor and a Senator. I know what the party stands for and most of its major players either dead or alive…“With this experience, my intention is to provide focused leadership to revive reorganize and reposition the party as a viable alternative” he said adding “the only way to prevent absolute dictatorship is to have a virile opposition party.”Suswam who spoke to some journalists over the weekend in Abuja dismissed allegation of different camps in the PDP but rather insisted the party needs a strong leadership to lead the way.Flacked by Hon. Richard Gbande, former member of the House of Representauives for Katsina Ala/Logo/Ukum Federal Constituency, Suswam emphatically said the party needs a strong leader.“I am not insisting it must be me but if it is me it will be better for the party.”Acknowledging he was widely consulting with the critical stake holders of the party, he explained that the PDP was not planning a national convention for the election of the National Chairman that has been vacant since the exit of the former National Chairman, Dr. Iyorchia Ayu but the National Executive Committee (NEC) would come together to choose a replacement in line with the provision of Article 47:6 of its constitution.He explained further that the provision empowers the NEC to appoint a successor from the geo-political zone where the removed National Chairman comes from to complete such a tenure. He cited several instances to expatiate how the party had complied with the provision of its constitution in the past, including the appointment of Chief Audu Ogbe by the NEC to replace Chief Barnabas Gemade who was elected at the national convention of the party.He debunked allegation that the former National Chairman, has a pending case in court against the party over his removal with a terse dismissal that “Ayu is not in court.”The PDP NEC has slated April 18, 2024 to appoint a replacement for the vacant position of the National Chairman following the exit of Dr. Iyorchia Ayu last year.Amongst others contesting for the vacant position are: the 2023 governorship candidate in Nasarawa State, David Ombugadu and a former Minister from Kogi State, Humphrey Aba.Suswam, faulted some policies of the Tinubu’s All Progressives Congress (APC )-led governmentas he regretted the dangerous economic slide as a result of ill-thought policies.He said the ruling – APC failed to learn lessons from the economic woes of Ghana and other Latin American countries, including Brazil that floated their currencies and attendant consequences on their economies.
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