Nigeria: End the Energy Crisis Now!

The other day in Abuja, President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua gave stakeholders in the Nigerian Energy sector a marching order: Enhance the supply of electricity immediately or risk the declaration of state of emergency. Rightly so. If there is any aspect of national life that needs urgent, combative attention, it is power.

The president displayed a good understanding of this embarrassing condition at the forum when he addressed the leadership of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN), Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Bureau for Public Enterprises (BPE) and some other relevant organisations.


His verdict: “We must solve this problem because until we do that, we cannot address the fundamental problems of our economy like poverty and unemployment… We will partner with the private sector and put in as much investment as we should. You people better be ready to come up with your plans before I declare a state of emergency in the sector. Because, once I do, I will take no excuses.”

Tough pronouncement, no doubt. But Nigerians would not be impressed by that command. Reason: After eight years of endless, unfulfilled promises by the immediate past government to overcome the perennial light problem, despite the enormous resources committed to the sector, electricity consumers have continued to be inundated only with stories of so-called giant strides in the generation segment of the power industry, without commensurate output. Two years ago, after the unbunbling of the defunct National Electric Power Authority (NEPA), the people were told that its successor, PHCN, would superintend the privatisation process that would fast-track the nation’s quest for adequate energy generation, transmission and distribution.

This Day (Lagos)