Dialogues: Re: SV: SV: USA Africa Dialogue Series

Kadiri,

I am sorry I did not respond to your argument because of other urgent compelling matters.

Let me say here that I am not holding brief for the minister of power, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola. I have never met him. I don't know him and we don't communicate with each other. I only feel that justice must be done to any issue that affects our leaders whether we like them or not.

I used the acronym NEPA because it has been a household name in Nigeria rather than the other ones you mentioned.

The appointment of the minister of power to oversee the supply of electricity for the domestic and industrial sectors of the economy which is his primary assignment; everything being equal.

The historical narratives you have given supported my position that the inability of the ministry of power to perform the expected function cannot be blame on the minister, it is beyond him.

If the political class is serious and sincere in the adequate supply of electricity in Nigeria since 1999, considering the huge amount of money invested in it, there won't be darkness anywhere in the country today.

You analyzed all the stages of government efforts to get the problem solved but the more new devices are introduced the worse the situation becomes.

You remember in 1999 late Chief Bola Ige promised to solve the problem of power in Nigeria within six months if given the job. He got the job, did he solve the problem? Why? It was beyond him.

The corruption embedded in the system must be treated first before anyone saddled with the responsibility of electricity can perform the magic wand expected of him or her.

During Jonathan administration, the National Assembly was asked to pass a bill to stop importation of generators to this country so that it would stop those who frustrate the effort of government to supply electricity. It was reported in the news then that some members of the National Assembly argued that what would happen to those who were in the business of importation of generators? In such a scenario can you blame the minister of power?

Normally, in my view, the distribution of electricity should have been the function of private companies. That would have prevented the so called crazy bills syndrome. But don't forget the attitude of users of the electricity in the country is appalling. There is dishonesty among the users of electricity and workers of the company.

In Lagos, Kaduna, Zaria and other parts of the country where I had lived, I witnessed instances where tenants and landlords who had genuine bills did not want to pay their bills. And what did they do? Instead of paying their bills they opted to bribe NEPA workers.

Find out Kadiri whether the NEPA bills owed by most of the ministries, Federal Secretariat Ikoyi were paid before and after they relocated to Abuja. Generally, Nigerians don't want to pay for anything owned by government.

People pay for recharge cards because it is not owned by government and because once their credit is used up they cannot sue the companies that sell it. And more importantly, they want to be in contact with their people and chat.

Unless the social monster called corruption is dealt with, it seems to me, the issue of inadequate supply of power cannot be blamed on the minister of power.

Segun.

On Apr 8, 2017, at 10:46 PM, Salimonu Kadiri <ogunlakaiye@hotmail.com> wrote:

Segun, what do you have Minister of Power for if he/she cannot see to it that enough electricity is generated for the country's industrial and domestic needs? You erroneously claimed that NEPA was sold to those who could not perform which is totally untrue. For your information Niger Dam Authority (NDA) and Electricity Corporation of Nigeria (ECN) were merged together to become National Electric Power Authority (NEPA) on 24 November 1974. By 1999, Nigerians had re-Baptized National Electric Power Authority to Never Expect Power Always because of constant epileptic power supply throughout the country. In fact, only 19 out of the existing 79 generating plants with installed capacity to generate 6, 000 megawatts then could generate 2,000 megawatts of electricity. Olusegun Obasanjo's Power Reform Acts renamed NEPA to Power Holding Corporation of Nigeria (PHCN) on July 1, 2005. Premised on the Power Reform Acts, Obasanjo's government licensed six semi-independent power generation companies to generate and sell power to the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) at bulk unit price. The six companies were Kainji/Jebba Hydro Power Business Unit, Shiroro Hydro Business Unit, Egbin Electric Power Business Unit, Delta Electric Power Business Unit, Afam Electric Power Business Unit and Sapele Electric Power Business Unit. Obasanjo built five new power stations across the country at a cost of $10 billion. The plants were located at Papalanto in Ogun State, Omotsho in Ondo State, Ugheli in Delta State, Geregu in Kogi State, and Alaoji in Abia State. It was promised that they would be generating 10,000 megawatts electricity by December 2007. By the time Obasanjo exited the Presidency, May 29, 2007, Nigerians had cause to rename Obasanjo's Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) to Problem Has Changed Name, tacitly referring to NEPA. The electricity generation in the country had dropped then from 3,000megawatts to 1,500 megawatts. When Yar'Adua became the President, the Senate and the House of Reps set up a joint committee to investigate what happened to the $16 billion spent by Obasanjo on electricity and found out that monies that disappeared from the power sector were shining lights in the bank accounts of various officials in the Ministry of Power and its subordinate parastatals.

Yar'Adua Presidency, promised Nigeria that by the end of 2009 and 2011 Nigeria would generate 6,000 MW and 10, 000 MW respectively. In March 2009, the Chairman of Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), Ransom Owan and six members of the Commission were suspended by the federal government for alleged mismanagement of N1.54 billion. On 15 September 2009, the Rural Electrification Agency was scrapped after it was discovered that the sum of N5.2 billion had been stolen in 2008 by National Assembly Members and a civil servant. The chairman of the Senate Committee on Power, Senator Nicholas Yahaya Ugbane (PDP Kogi East) his House of Representatives counterpart, Ndidi Elumelu (PDP Delta State), Chairman House Committee on Rural Development, Paulinus Igwe (PDP Ebonyi), Mohammed Jibo (PDP Niger State) and Permanent Secretary Ministry of Power, Alhaji Aliyu Abdullahi, were arrested and arraigned before an Abuja High Court by the EFCC on a 156 count charge of corruption and embezzlement of public funds. Although the Federal Executive Council led by Yar'Adua approved N384 billion for the execution of projects of the National Integrated Power Projects (NIPP) yet by the end of September 2009, the Managing Director of PHCN then, Hussaini Labo, told the nation that the nation's power generation was fluctuating between 2,300 and 2,400 megawatts.

When Goodluck Jonathan won the Presidential election in 2011, he appointed Professor Bartholomew Nnaji as the Minister of Power. During Obasanjo era, Nnaji's company called Geometric Powers was one of the 18 private companies that were granted operational licenses by the Federal Government to undertake the generation of electricity to complement efforts to boost the country's available supply capacity. The Federal Government stood as guarantor for Bank loans to those private power companies of which Professor Nnaji's company received N25 million. However, Professor Nnaji proceeded as Minister of Power to initiate privatisation of PHCN and in the course of that, there emerged furious struggle between the predators on who among them should get the lion, tiger, leopard, hyena and fox share of the PHCN. The conflict of interest led Jonathan to ease out Professor Nnaji from the Ministry of Power and Professor Chinedu Ositadinma Ndubuisi Nebo replaced him. At subsequent Senate hearing for his confirmation, Professor Nebo said "If the President deploys me in the power sector, I believe that given my performance at the University of Nigeria Nsukka, UNN, where as a Chancellor, I drove out the witches and the demons, God will also give me power to drive out demons in the power sector." When Professor Nebo left office on May 29, 2015, PHCN had been dismantled. Instead, there were four generating companies designated as GENCOS with the right to sell all power generated in Nigeria to Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) which in turn sells to the ten Distribution Companies designated, DISCOS. Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) was retained by the government to supervise electric tariffs and bills. In view of the above facts, PCHN was only partially privatised and the government can easily reverse the process at will if found not workable.

You talked about unpaid electricity bills but those bills were based on anticipatory consumptions of electricity and not on the real consumptions. If NEPA, as you wrongly call the electric power supplier instead of PHCN, sent an anticipatory total bill of 10,000 MWs to consumers whereas its total power distribution for the period was 2,000 MWs, then your NEPA should not claim that it is being owed 8,000MWs of unpaid electric bills, when in reality it has been paid for the 2,000MW actually supplied. The problem is that enough power is not generated to supply electricity for the country and if the Minister of power suddenly becomes a millionaire immediately after generating darkness for the people, we should hold that minister responsible for enveloping the nation in darkness. The Nigerian four Crude Oil Refineries record zero production against their installed capacities, as we all know. Do you blame that on unpaid bills for fuels at petrol stations by Nigerian consumers?

S.Kadiri

Från: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com <usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com> för Segun Ogungbemi <seguno2013@gmail.com>
Skickat: den 7 april 2017 20:22
Till: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com
Ämne: Re: SV: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Today's Quote

Is the problem with the minister of power? The government that sold NEPA to those who could not perform should be held responsible and not the minister.

The arms of government and all its institutions that owe NEPA have not paid their bills. Is it the problem of the minister of power?

I think the challenges go beyond the minister of power.

Everyone who owes NEPA Bill should pay right now and see what happens next.

SO

Sent from my iPhone

On Apr 7, 2017, at 10:37 AM, Salimonu Kadiri <ogunlakaiye@hotmail.com> wrote:

In Nigeria's democracy, for instance, the Minister of Power would become a millionaire by producing darkness and Senseless Advocates of Nigeria (SAN) would say there is no connection between the Minister's overnight wealth and the darkness he has produced for the citizens.

S. Kadiri

Från: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com <usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com> för Chidi Anthony Opara <chidi.opara@gmail.com>
Skickat: den 6 april 2017 23:16
Till: USA African Dialogue Series
Ämne: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Today's Quote

In democracy, it is one thing to slam allegations and another thing to prove them.

CAO.

Chidi Anthony Opara is a Poet and Publisher of PublicInformationProjects

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Re: SV: SV: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Today's Quote

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