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Nigeria’s Electricity Woes by tommyex(m): 10:48am On Mar 10, 2009
This may be rather lengthy, but its worth the read for those that may be interested-'Culled from punch newspaper 3-Mar-2009'


NIGERIA’S ELECTRICITY WOES
Writing on Nigeria’s Energy and Power problems is like rewriting the history of corruption in Nigeria. And it is not a convenient and palatable topic because Nigeria has been held hostage by a very powerful clique of buccaneers who have refused to let go.
It is not that Nigeria lacks the Technological, Natural Resources, and Human Capital potentials to generate more megawatts to meet the nation’s energy requirements but that those Generals (and their Allies) in their Hill-Top castles remotely control every activity in Nigeria to maintain their  strangle hold and vice-grip on a Nigeria that is even struggling to breath. Nigeria is blessed with resources vast enough to meet all her energy requirements.

Nigeria’s River-Network makes hydro electricity our single largest potential source of electricity. In the same perspective, our hydro potential which remains obsolete and largely untapped is sufficient to provide up to 50,000 megawatts of electricity if fully harnessed and tapped.

Other untapped sources of energy are solar, clean coal, oil and gas and wind –all of them if fully harnessed will make us major vendors of electricity to needy African Countries. During a media chat in December, 2007 President Umaru Yar Adua promised to declare a state of National Emergency on the Energy and Power sector to get Nigeria out of its Economic predicament since power was the tonic for industrial growth. So the President knows the Critical importance of energy and power? The President promised that all hands would be on deck to increase our Megawatts from 3000 to 10000 at the end of 2008. He also promised the Nation 30,000 Megawatts by 2011 and a whooping 50,000 by 2015. Was the president dreaming? Was he joking?. Was he just flying a kite? Or was he fooling Nigerians?

By August, 2008 our 3000 megawatts had plummeted to 2000 and by December, 2008 the Presidents projected 10,000 MW was now less than 2000. 2000 Megawatts for a population of 150 Million people. That is an incredible 75,000 people to 1 megawat against the recommended ratio of 300 people to 1 megawat for developing Nations. I do not cast any doubts on the President’s optimism, sincerity of purpose and intentions. I rather pity the President’s “stubbornness” for trying to go beyond the precincts of his masters’ delineations. I see the President as willing horse but with a brit-controlled mechanism to checkmate his over zealousness and over enthusiasm. A mechanism to compartmentalize the President and ensure he operates only within a prescribed precinct and zone.

For instance all the President’s talk about vision 2010 and all the millennium Development Goals put together are hogwash and a charade of Politicians to hoodwink a gullible and compliant society into an irredeemable state of hopelessness if energy and power are not given top priority by the present Administration. This is because there is an unavoidable nexus between electricity and Industrialization. Early in February 2009 the Federal Minister for Mines and Power told the whole world that the Federal Govt. will soon start work on the National Integrated Power Projects. This followed a meeting of the Presidential steering Committee on NIPP headed by Vice President Goodluck Jonathan. The Minister said “some outstanding logistics and funding issues have slowed down the project”. The minister did not elaborate on these Outstanding Logistic and funding issues. The Minister was diplomatic enough not to let the world know that the greatest problem of the NIPP is unexecuted contracts. Contracts worth Hundreds of billions of Naira have been awarded to certain very powerful members of the same clique that controls this country. All moneys have been paid upfront but not a single pin has been mobilized on sight – that is the problem with NIPP. Let the Minister deny this.

The problem with the Nigerian Energy sector is that the more money you inject into it, the less you will see of the impact and outcome of this financing. An estimated $16BN has been pumped into the Energy sector since 1999 with the aim of increasing our megawatts from 3000 in 1999 to 10000 in 2009. What a tragedy, what a futility. Indeed Nigeria is a Sisyphean tragedy. Nigerians spend about $120 BN annually in fueling generators throughout the Country. This is good money that could have been put to better use to boost Nigeria’s economy. Early this year the Federal Govt went a step further by ensuring uninterrupted electricity through an unprecedented Budget allocation of $2BN 

(about N300 BN) to run and maintain generators for Federal Govt. Officials. Even the Independent Corrupt Practices And Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) an Agency devoted to fighting corruption got $250,000 (about N37.5MN) for the running and maintenance of its generators this year.

Do you still need to ask why Nigeria with its expanding population cannot exceed the almost jinxed 3000 megawatts figure. It is not that Nigeria cannot have constant electricity. South Africa with its population of 45 million people has Electricity facility of about 50,000 megawatts, which is about 900 people to 1 megawatt. Nigeria with a population of 150 Million is battling with a constant paltry 2000 MW- that is a ratio of 75000 people to 1 megawatt. What a same. About 80% of South Africa is electrified. In Malawi, Mozambique and some West Africa Countries, it is a paltry 5%. In Nigeria actual electrification is about 2% when outages are computed.

Is it that we cannot enjoy uninterrupted Electricity as in Ghana? We can but the situation is very complex. Presently China even with  the global economic downturn is boosting her economy with a massive generator trade boom with Nigeria’s faceless generator Billionaires. These faceless saboteurs (some of them former Rulers and Top Govt. Officials) will even kill to ensure continued darkness in Nigeria. That is why they killed   Chief Bola Ige who was hell bent on “Lighting up” Nigeria. Chief Bola Ige was killed by   those who could not brook the intransigence of an unyielding and Unco-operative Minister for Energy and Power.

Apart from the Generator importers, there is another very lucrative reason why Nigeria must continue to be in darkness. The same people who made it possible for a great oil-rich country like Nigeria to depend on imported finished petroleum products to run its ailing and comatose industries, are the same people who have made it impossible for this great and  over abundantly blessed Country to operate just one semi-functional Refinery.     

The absence of Petroleum refineries, the greed of generator importers and the allocation of Diesel and premium Motor Spirit (Petrol) importation to a SINGLE importer are the three greatest fatalities that combine in a macabre fashion to deprive Nigerians of adequate electricity. And darkness will continue in Nigeria as long as these 3 conditions above prevail. Has anyone in this country asked why we cannot build functional refineries? The Obasanjo Administration over flogged the issue of building more refineries. He encouraged Private Refineries but did not approve even One. The reason for this is that Private or even Govt. refineries will make a mockery and defeat the aims and objectives of the single importer syndrome. All Diesel used in Nigeria must come through one single importer now popularly called “MR. DIESEL”.

The cannibalization and prostrate condition of Nigeria’s Refineries is the greatest crime Committed against this great Country by our present and past Rulers. The Criminals are still alive bestriding the Nation with pomp, pride and applause. A Directory of Generator Company Chairmen and Importers will shock Nigerians as it includes former very Senior Govt. Officials, Ministers, Commissioners, and Directors-General etc. But I have a firm conviction that a change is on the way. Either the Rawlings way which will come before you say “Marian Robinson” or the Obama way, which could take another 100 years in a very subservient and compliant Nation place like Nigeria. But a change will surely come.

It is longer a secret that many of Nigeria’s big industries are planning relocation to Ghana due to quarterly losses resulting from an increased expenditure on generator and diesel. So when you see the next pack of Milo, watch it, it could have been imported from Ghana. Ghanaians will gain so much from this switch and the dominion effect on the their economy will be astronomical.

Oh Nigeria! When shall thou see thy wholesome days again?             

BEN NANAGHAN E-mail: bennanaghan@yahoo.com   
LAGOS- NIGERIA

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