There are indications that the Federal Government may wield the big stick on some power generating companies (GenCos) as well as distribution companies (DisCos) operating in the country very soon.

Government’s grouse is that DisCos and GenCos have been churning out epileptic power supplies in the country for which the current administration is taking bulk of the blames.

All this may have prompted a fresh approach by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) chaired by President Muhammadu Buhari adopting a new resolution to review the operational and financial interventions where necessary.


Government is also interested in knowing where it can come in to improve transparency, service delivery, and performance as they affect the DisCos, transmission companies, among others.

Power Privitisation

Power privitisation policy in Nigeria dates back to the administration of ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo but it is still believed to be giving the current administration cause for concern hence its decision to look at the entire value chain with a view to rejigging it.

According to the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, despite the sorry state of power sector, government was not considering going back to the old system where power was driven by the public sector rather mechanisms would be adopted to put the private sector drivers on their feet henceforth.

Fashola, who briefed State House reporters on some of council’s resolution, said the anti-corruption policy of the government may be visited on the private sector drivers, even as the botched contract for the Katsina wind energy farm project has been revived.

He said projects of this nature fell under the power sector recovery programme for which government has become more committed to.

“FEC approved the power sector recovery programme which we presented to council. It’s a programme that comprises many policy actions, operational and financial interventions that needs to be carried out by government to improve transparency, service delivery, performance of DisCos, transmissions companies, the entire value chain in order to create more viable power sector that is private sector driven.

“Some of the highlights of the programme would be to expose ways of simplifying and reducing the cash deficits that have accumulated ‎as a result of previous unilateral reductions of tariff by the last administration during the running of the elections, how to make the DisCos viable, accountable, responsive to customers, ensure stability of the grid and expansion of the grid and transparency and communication within the sector.

“We would look into the processes for ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) debts‎ and how to improve sector governance, our roles in the buzz, the quality of personnel on the board of the DisCos, it addresses access to renewable energy especially in rural areas using mini-grids and stand alone solutions and how we are going to carry out the solutions that have been developed for 37 federal universities and seven tertiary hospitals.

“The resolution of the Niger Delta problem would also come under scrutiny including how to ensure there is stable and predictable foreign exchange policy for the sector so that it is somewhat protected from sudden head winds of the volatility of the foreign exchange market so that they can plan and deliver.

“Not forgetting issues of vandalism at consumer and production levels of pipelines and so on as this will help bring confidence to the market and stimulate the appetite that currently exists globally for Nigeria’s power sector.

“We see a lot of people who want to invest but some of them are tied to what other international financial institutions do‎ and the institutions are also waiting to see us commit to these things”, he said.

Katsina Wind Farm Project


On the Katsina wind farm project, Fashola said it was awarded in 2010 and should have been completed in 2013 but that the expatriate who was implementing it were kidnapped.

When he was eventually rescued he never returned back to the project site and that delayed the project.

“We have revived the project; a new contracting team is back on site. The contract of the consultants representing us has expired and so we are extending his contract to cover new period of completion,” he said.

N150m Design Link Roads

Meanwhile, the Federal Government voted a contract sum of N150 million just to design link roads leading to the proposed second Niger Bridge in the South East.

A timeframe of six months was also given for the design work to be completed, while the roads are to be linked through from Asaba in Delta State and Onitsha in Anambra State.

Again, minister of power, works and housing, who gave insights to the project, said with the link roads design now approved, it signaled the construction works for the second Niger Bridge project valued at N14.4 billion.

Besides the bridge contracts, approval was also given for construction of 12 federal roads at a cost of N80 billion.

Some of the roads are to cut across states particularly Numan, Jalingo roads connecting Adamawa‎ and Taraba states, replacement of bridges at Mayachi along Guza-Sokoto road in Zamfara State, construction of roads in Bauchi, Plateau, Osun, Kwara, Kano, Oyo, Enugu, Kaduna, Kano.

He said, “Approval was given for the engineering and consultancy design for access road 1 and 2 ‎to link Asaba in Delta State and Onitsha in Anambra State to link the Second Niger Bridge project.”

FEC also deliberated on a number of projects to be constructed within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

The project includes contract for Phase Two of the Abuja Mass Transit Lot 1B (26.77km) from Ring Road I, linking through Area 10 beside Wuse Market, Berger

Junction, Jabi Motor Park, through Life Camp to Gwagwa.

Others are Jahi District Infrastructure at a cost of N19.473 billion and a 5km road to link Ring Road III to Wasa Junction with Karshi -Ara-Apo Road at a cost of N2.454 billion.

According to Mohammed Bello, council approved the resolution to approach the Nigerian Export Import (NEXIM) Bank to fund part of the projects at a cost of $1.79 billion.



VIA

INNOCENT OWEH ABUJA

http://independent.ng/discos-gencos-bringing-shame-to-govt-fashola/

So, generation of power is now rocket science?......Smh



Anyway, whatever will improve the power sector in the country is welcome, even if it has to do with reversing the privatisation!




Enough of all these excuses and shamelessness in governance!



If the three portfolios consisting of power, works and housing is too much for you and hindering your optimum performances, speak out so that you will be relieved of some and be able to focus effectively and efficiently on your chosen portfolio! So that this bogus ministerial appointment will not counter the little respect you have earned yourself as a performing governor of Lagos state then!


It is well with Nigeria!

Nigerian private sector seems to prefer fraud to innovation and hardwork. The govt should kick out discos nor ready to work and resell them.

I kukuma prefer when everything was public than now. The bills keep increasing with general decrease in energy supply. If reversal of the privatization policy is still possible, bikonu, reverse the damn thing in no time!

advice us on what to do baba fashola
baba has the political will to deal with it

God punish PDP and scattered the satanic party beyond repair.

APC have lost it
Useless rogues
Weldon our able minister of darkness
Ajah people don suffer die

madridguy:
God punish PDP and scattered the satanic party beyond repair.

Continue living in the Stone Age
Newsflash.... Buhari is in aso rock
Tell him to fulfill his campaign promises
Not excuses upon excuses

sarrki:
advice us on what to do baba fashola

baba has the political will to deal with it

Which political will?
Like the one to fight Fulani herdsmen on rampage
You need help

[s]

ZombieTERROR:

Continue living in the Stone Age
Newsflash.... Buhari is in aso rock
Tell him to fulfill his campaign promises
Not excuses upon excuses

[/s]

First tell all the thieves you swore to protect and praise to return the loot.

Did you say this during Jonathan's time.?


Incompetent minister

madridguy:
God punish PDP and scattered the satanic party beyond repair.

Pls nobody should waste any energy on this MAD-rid read guy because as you can see, the guy seems very mad

madridguy:
God punish PDP and scattered the satanic party beyond repair.

Pls nobody should waste any energy quoting this MAD-rid read guy because as you can see, the guy seems very mad

Ah! Which Gencos and Discos?

Fashola should gaan seedoun.

Just because transmission company is solely owned by the government, then it's not a problem. Over 40% of generated power is lost on transmission lines because we use relatively high resistance conductors.

Though gencos have their problems, but not as he painted it.



Waiting for Gencos and Discos responses.

Thanks to the yeye Jonathan govt and his frog-eyed finance Minister...

PhD + Havard = zero!!!

Met $60billion in reserves, and EXPONENTIALLY GREW IT TO $30billion even with th highest oil prices/barrel in the history of the world!!!

Sold our PHCN to friends and loyalists in order to pay them large money to be shared as usual, all to IMPROVE darkness supply to Nigerians..

God punish everyone who supports them...

When fashola said 6 months, he actually meant 60 yrs. Pls pardon his grave error.

[s]

KINGwax007:
Thanks to the yeye Jonathan govt and his frog-eyed finance Minister...

PhD + Havard = zero!!!

Met $60billion in reserves, and EXPONENTIALLY GREW IT TO $30billion even with th highest oil prices/barrel in the history of the world!!!

Sold our PHCN to friends and loyalists in order to pay them large money to be shared as usual, all to IMPROVE darkness supply to Nigerians..

God punish everyone who supports them...

[/s]

Ask Mr. Rocket science aka minister of darkness. He's done blaming Jonathan, now he's moved on to blaming gencos and discos. Next he will blame raggae and blues. But sad enough, you his zombie isn't up to date. My regards to the dullard recuperating at the oza room.

vedaxcool:
[s][/s]

First tell all the thieves you swore to protect and praise to return the loot.

Please, did u read d article? The blame game just changed 4rm militants which u guys wea yapping about to Discos, Gencos and some other things Fash can't figure out yet!!

Still no new refineries
Still no new weapons
No new schools or upgrade
Still no power
No Intl passport booklets
Even nysc mobilization na problem
Jamb, same problem
Medical care crippled

This govt
Increased tariff
Stamp duty
Cancelled subsidy
Osinbajo pumped money into dis same sector few weeks ago!

Just as el-rufai said, dis govt has been unable to achieve even "mundane things".
This govt is rich, we sell above d benchmark and we produce 2mbpd. Stop d looting excuse. Ask for good governance

KINGwax007:
Thanks to the yeye Jonathan govt and his frog-eyed finance Minister...

PhD + Havard = zero!!!

Met $60billion in reserves, and EXPONENTIALLY GREW IT TO $30billion even with th highest oil prices/barrel in the history of the world!!!

Sold our PHCN to friends and loyalists in order to pay them large money to be shared as usual, all to IMPROVE darkness supply to Nigerians..

God punish everyone who supports them...

Even as PMB don open ur eye reach u still think someone can loot from d foreign reserve? Guy just go and ask 4 refund from all d schools u attended..

Eazybay:


Please, did u read d article? The blame game just changed 4rm militants which u guys wea yapping about to Discos, Gencos and some other things Fash can't figure out yet!!

Still no new refineries
Still no new weapons
No new schools or upgrade
Still no power
No Intl passport booklets
Even nysc mobilization na problem
Jamb, same problem
Medical care crippled

This govt
Increased tariff
Stamp duty
Cancelled subsidy
Osinbajo pumped money into dis same sector few weeks ago!

Just as el-rufai said, dis govt has been unable to achieve even "mundane things".
This govt is rich, we sell above d benchmark and we produce 2mbpd. Stop d looting excuse. Ask for good governance

He's a zombie, zombies are the most difficult creatures to deal with. We just knock them heads off. That's how to deal with them.

Why is the government complaining?

Who is regulating them?

Who gives them licences?

Who gives the mandate to operate?

Who is suppose to handle them when they misuse or fail on the mandate??

If the government is crying and complaining, what will ordinary Nigerians -who suffer the brunt of the failures- do??

Nonsense propaganda from the most ineffectual minister of power in history.

He is failing woefully on the job as minister of power. Professor Nebo and Barth Nnaji are head and shoulders above him. The same way Tinubu and Jakande were much better than him. Nobody can point to any Fashola legacy in Lagos besides a toll road ,toll bridge and monstrous propaganda machine that churns out zombies in large numbers daily. Fake guy

KINGwax007:
Thanks to the yeye Jonathan govt and his frog-eyed finance Minister...

PhD + Havard = zero!!!

Met $60billion in reserves, and EXPONENTIALLY GREW IT TO $30billion even with th highest oil prices/barrel in the history of the world!!!

Sold our PHCN to friends and loyalists in order to pay them large money to be shared as usual, all to IMPROVE darkness supply to Nigerians..

God punish everyone who supports them...

For how long will you people continue with all these shameless and baseless excuses. APC was voted as a better alternative to PDP, in order to correct the errors of the latter, but as it is now, PDP seems to be better than APC in performance and some other areas. The truth is that many Nigerians who voted this plague called APC are already regretting!

As it's going now, it seems you people are going to use the whole four years to give shameless and baseless excuses! You people are confused and you ain't even admitting it!


What a shame!!!

Our people our problem ,we are the problem ourselves, we create one, two where their is non to make it look cumbersome we jam it together so that it becomes compound issues..to enslave the large society.

greatgod2012:




For how long will you people continue with all these shameless and baseless excuses. APC was voted as a better alternative to PDP, in order to correct the errors of the latter, but as it is now, PDP seems to be better than APC in performance and some other areas. The truth is that many Nigerians who voted this plague called APC are already regretting!

As it's going now, it seems you people are going to use the whole four years to give shameless and baseless excuses! You people are confused and you ain't even admitting it!


What a shame!!!

keep crying bro. I am merely stating th fact and if you have a brain, u will understand that we can use a whole decade to blame the futile 16 yrs of misrule, while trying to clean up ur mess.

You unfortunate beings!!![

vedaxcool:
[s][/s]

First tell all the thieves you swore to protect and praise to return the loot.

Let's start with Buharis loot in 83
He can lead by example
Since he can't achieve anything unless loot is returned by all his predecessors according to you

Eazybay:


Even as PMB don open ur eye reach u still think someone can loot from d foreign reserve? Guy just go and ask 4 refund from all d schools u attended..

all ur life, u have spent the whole of your supposedly educational life, selling puff puff to your mates, instead of studying. Even that, didn't prove to b fruitful to you!

We are talking of not saving anything, while looting everything, in spite of having everything...You are talking of looting from the reserves.

But there hope for you, i heard that someone did a penile transplant in Egypt...Let's hope a brain transplant is possible for u. Even a fish brain wld do!

.

The most incompetent minister . It's no longer a blame on past administration. Your incompetence stinks to high heavens

No be today!!!