Power Sector Players Plan Summit, Say FG Spent N7tn Without Results

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja

Operators in the power supply sector yesterday disclosed plans to hold a stakeholders’ summit to review, among others, why the N7 trillion federal government ‘s direct intervention since the privatisation of the sector had failed to generate positive outcomes.

Despite massive investment by the government and foreign donors, Nigeria’s over 200 million population still generate power mostly by the deployment of generators as the national grid continually faces challenges.

The stakeholders’ meeting which is scheduled for October is coming 10 years after the partial privatisation of the sector by the federal government.

Chairman of the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI) market participants and stakeholders roundtable planning committee, Prof Stephen Ogaji, said during a briefing in Abuja, that the meeting will seek to chart the way forward for the sector.

Ogaji said the roundtable will bring together the various experts, operators, vendors, and other stakeholders, necessary for the progress of the sector.

He added that the event will be themed: “NESI privatisation and its 10-year milestone: The Journey So Far, Opportunities and Prospects”.

According to him, the three-day event would provide a platform for a robust and comprehensive discussion of the issues and prospects associated with the power supply industry.

Ogaji noted that the event will hold a special significance as players come together not only to deliberate on the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead, but to also to acknowledge the journey of the industry in the last 10 years.

Since November 1, 2013, when the final leg of the privatisation of the Nigeria power sector was completed, and the assets successfully handed over to private investors by the federal government, Ogaji explained that the journey had been filled with challenges, even though some successes had been recorded.

“While it has been a decade of ups and downs, the resilience, dedication, and collective effort from all stakeholders have all brought us to where we stand today, not quite where we ought to be, but making incremental progress towards the final objective of consistent and sufficient power supply,” he stated.

In his comments on how the sector has performed in the 10 years of privatisation, the Market Operator (MO),  Edmund Eje, said the industry had so far failed to meet the expectations of consumers.

 “The conference will have people who are passionate about the power industry. People who are disenchanted about not recording successes since the privatisation.

“You and I were enthusiastic about privatisation when it was touted that  ‘the government has no business doing business’. That NEPA had failed and all of us were witnesses. Everybody was enthusiastic to have a different thing and that this will usher us into a new power paradise. It never came.

“This conference is to evaluate what the issues are. The federal government has spent about N7 trillion on direct interventions and I am not talking about monies from donors, and we are still asking for more,” he said.

Eje observed that despite the investments made by the operators in generation, transmission and distribution infrastructures, nothing seemed to have worked.

“I can tell you that since 2005, we have never invoiced anything more than 4,000MW. It is on record. This is no holds barred and it is coming at the right time,” the market operator said.

In his remarks, Executive Director, Research and Advocacy, Association of Nigerian Electricity Distributors (ANED), Mr Sunday Oduntan said a lot of collaborations and partnerships were needed to ensure that the sector makes progress.

Oduntan said that the conference will afford the industry players the opportunity for self-assessment, with a view to finding out what went wrong and how to right them.