Institute Urges Reform Of Power Sector

The Institute of Electrical/Electronic Engineers of Nigeria has called for effective reforms in the Nigeria  Power Sector to address the power needs of country.
President of the Port Harcourt branch of the institute, Engineer Isaac Adekanya who spoke with The Tide during an interview in Port Harcourt said there was need for upward review of policies to tackle the challenges of power supply in the country.
Engineer Adekanya also called for the liberalisation of the power sector to encourage the participation of more service providers in the sector.
He said the present operation of the sector was inadequate as the few service providers were unable to meet up with the power  demands of Nigerians.
He faulted the process of engagements of GENCOS and TRANCOS in the operation of the power sector, noting that the process lacked the inputs of experts in the sector.
He advocated for a process where allocation of contracts for service providers in the power sector will be based on expertise and competence rather than political and commercial interests alone.
“It’s important that experts and professionals in the power sector be given the opportunity to make inputs and contributions for the development of the sector. There is need for reforms in the sector to reflect the realities of the Nigeria situation. The absence of effective power supply in the country is the greatest disincentive against economic growth and expansion, “ he said.
The president also called for greater synergy between the academia and the industry to promote research and development in the sector.
“There is need for a stronger collaboration between the academic institutions and the industries to promote research.While the industries should provide the funding, the institutions should provide the research. It’s only through this type of synergy that genuine progress can be made in power sector development,” he stated.
The institute also called on the federal government to generate more power based on comparative advantage and the availability of natural resources and raw materials for power generation, and faulted the concentration of generated power at Oshogbo for distribution across the country.
“ It’s wrong to concentrate all generated power at Oshogbo for distribution across the country. This doesn’t create room for proper accessment of the power needs of the various states of the country. States should be be encouraged to generate their own power to tackle their own peculiar power needs,” he said.

Taneh Beemene