Stakeholders Urge Release Of Electricity Stabilisation Fund

Stakeholders in the pri
vate sector have called on the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to release the Nigerian Electricity Market Stabilization Facility  Fund meant for the power sector.
Speaking to The Tide in Port Harcourt on Monday, Chairman, Private Sector Stakeholders on Power, Mr Felix Chukwudi, said the apex bank had signed an agreement with stakeholders in the power sector on the release of the N213 billion power stabilization fund from the first week of January 2015.
Chukwudi said the apex bank is yet to disburse the fund to stakeholders in the power sector.
He said regular power supply will boost Nigeria’s industrialisation, stressing that Nigerians are waiting earnestly for the disbursement of the stabilisation fund.
He explained that one of the major problems with the nation’s economic development is the lack of power supply, stressing that with the free fall of Naira and oil prices, there is the need for the government to disburse the fund in order for the electricity sector to be fixed.
Chukwudi said the fall in oil price was an added advantage to the country’s quest for diversification, but stressed that increases in revenue base of industrial and other sectors would not thrive in the midst of incessant outages.
He said industrialisation of Nigeria is highly dependent on the availability of power supply in the country, stressing that for the country to work optimally there has to be at least regular power supply.
The businessman said most heavy machines work at their best when they have been heated up for say three hours non-stop and they park up when there is fluctuation in power supply.
He stressed that power outage during production always results in the loss of millions of Naira by the private sector stakeholders and operators adding that most industrialists resort to generators during production to minimise losses.
It would be recalled that CBN Governor, Mr Godwin Emefiele, had on Monday, December 22, 2014 in Abuja said the agreement entered  with Deposit Money Banks (DMBs) was to fund the power sector for an improved facility.
Emefiele said the banks are the channel through which the power intervention facility would be disbursed for investors in the power sector to clear their legacy debts and  make the sector economically viable.

Philip Okparaji