The power sector is one of those sectors of the Nigerian economy that has received critical attention within the past 57 years of the corporate existence of the country as an independent state.
As part of measures to attain desired impact and maximal results in the power sector, vast treaties and hypothesis have been made over the past years, while billions of tax payers money have been sunked in.
The prospect of development, remains but a flicker, a mere shallow reflection of the expected breakthrough from the huge investment invested into the sector.
However, as the country marks its 57 independence celebration, Nigerians are desirous of the full dividends of the huge investment in the power sector.
The fact been that effective power supply is what is needed in the country to drive entrepreneurial growth and enterprise development among the teeming masses and create job opportunities.
Pundits have blamed the challenges in Nigeria power sector reforms on many factors.
One of such factors identified is the use of similar approach or methodology in solving power sector problems, thereby resulting in same old inefficiencies.
Apart from apparent diversion of fund meant for the resuscitation of the ailing sector, the lack of input of real technocrats and experts in policy making and implementation, has also been pointed as been responsible for the woes in the sector.
Musing over the prospect of development in the Nigerian power sector, an expert, Engr. Isaac Adekanya said the lapses in the sector reform were traceable to some missing links in the operation of the power sector.
Adekanya, who is the Port Harcourt branch Chairman of the Nigeria Institute of Electronic, Electrical engineers, disclosed in an exclusive interview with The Tide, that the Nigerian power sector was yet to attain synergy in the three major areas that constitute the sector, such as Power Generation (Genco) power Distribution (DISCO) and Power Transmission (Transco).
According to him, not all the power generated in the country are transmitted and distributed to the end users.
“There are a lot of technical challenges in the generation, transmission and distribution of power in the country. Most of the power projects carried out in the country have no consideration for the distribution and transmission of the generated electricity to the end users. An example is the Omoku power project, which is a huge investment but had not been able to make maximal impact because of the challenges of transmission and distribution”.
Adekanya, who is also a fellow of the Nigeria Society of Engineers said similar challenges exist in the transmission of generated electricity to the National Electricity Centre at Osogbo. He said most of the power generated are wasted along the line before they get to the end users.
In his view, the concentration of generated electricity at the Osogbo Power Centre where the needs of consumers across the country are decided may not be serving the best interest of the various sections of the country.
He noted that such discretionary measures in the allocation of power may not truly represent the electricity demands of the various states of the nation.
Alternatively, Engr. Adekanya suggested that power generation, transmission and distribution should be based on comparative economic advantage, as the various parts of the nation have peculiar natural advantages in strategic location of energy sources.
“The various parts of Nigeria are disposed with vast energy sources that can be explored based on comparative advantage. In the north, there is abundance of solar energy source, in the middle belt there are rivers that can be harnessed for hydro power generation while the Niger Delta is blessed with enormous gas potentials for thermal energy.
“These energy sources can be explored fully to serve the power need of the various areas where they are located. The idea of evacuating generated power to Osogbo before distribution may not be entirely the best option for the country. Nigerians are in serious need of electricity to do their business. It is regrettable that at 57, the country still runs a generator economy”.
Adekanya, who is a proponent of diversification as the panacea for effective power sector reform, also faulted the allocation of the DISCO by the federal government.
He said the DISCOs were given out on political consideration rather than competence and liberalisation.
He noted that the conspicuous absence, or non involvement of experts with the requisite technical knowhow in the DISCO stifles development in the sub-sector, as those involved are more concerned about profit motive than effective service delivery.
He therefore advocated for full liberalisation of the DISCO for more players to be involved on a note of competition in service delivery as in the case of the telecommunication industry.
In his submission, another expert in renewable energy, Elder Elkanah Hanson said the future of Nigeria’s industrialisation depended on renewable energy which is a global phenomenon.
Elder hanson, who spoke with The Tide correspondent in Port Harcourt recently, said nations of the world are taking advantage of renewable energy to serve their electricity needs.
The elder statesman, pointed out that Nigerian electricity laws were based on colonial orientation and as such do not serve our peculiar development need.
To attain sustainable development in power sector reforms, he called for a total revocation of the obsolete electricity laws and adoption of inventions that are best suited for our polity.
Elder Hanson, who described the concentration of generated electricity at Osogbo as “economic piracy”, said the major problem with Nigeria was its behemoth federal status, that disposses the component units of the country from developing at their own pace.
He called for total restructuring of the centralised federal structure of the country and added that electricity should not be the exclusive reserve of the Federal Government.
“At 57 Nigeria has come of age and should not be toddling again. It is ridiculous that we are still battling with defects in the power sector, our value system must change. The fight against corruption must be thorough and complete. The Federal Government should declare a state of emergency in the power sector. The lumping of power ministry with works and housing is wrong. The power ministry should be made to stand on its own and an expert should be saddled with the responsibility of running the ministry”.
Meanwhile, the Federal Government has stated that it was not against states building their own power projects to support incremental power.
Minister of power, works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola disclosed this at a meeting of the National Council of Power (NACOP) held in Jos, Pleateau State recently.
The minister explained that the law allows states to embark on electricity distribution under license through the Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC).
Fashiola further hinted that in the Power Sector Recovery Programme (PSRC) of the Federal Government, states are vested with enormous responsibilities to ensure that, “their residents comply with safety standards on building by not building on the right of way of 332/133,33 and 11KVA lines”.
He also urged states to encourage their residents to pay for consumed energy while the metering issue and estimated billing is addressed.
Fashola, who described the meter system as cost effective, called on state governments to set up debt verification teams with audit capacity to ascertain the debt profile and develop a payment plan which can be budgeted for. This he noted will help liquidity issues and contribute to the power sector reforms.
Considering the importance of power in the economic development of any nation, the 57th Independence anniversary of Nigeria offers an avenue for a critical review of the power sector for better service delivery.
The fact remains that competence and not politics should be the criteria for participation in the power sector. This will give more room for innovation and efficiency.

Taneh Beemene