Yar’Adua promised that he would declare a state of emergency to liberate the beleaguered power sector within six months of assuming office. “Our plan is to launch a national emergency programme on the power sector, because we believe that there cannot be any meaningful industrial development without steady power supply,” Yar’Adua vowedEight months into the present dispensation, however, the nation is still groaning in darkness. The poor and chaotic supply of electricity, which the President met on ground, has been allowed to deteriorate further. What is more appalling is that a ‘go-slow’ approach to power sector revival is fast supplanting the sense of urgency earlier expressed by Yar’Adua before taking office. Hope is fast crumbling, giving way to despair. The way forward for the sector is foggy. Nobody is sure of the next step to be taken by the President.

Those countries that understand the inevitable nexus between development and the supply of electricity are not joking or playing politics with the power sector. South Africa, with a population of about 40 million, is currently generating about 36,000 MW. With a population of about 79 million, Egypt generates about 23,000 MW. Iran, which has a population of 70 million, presently generates 42,000 MW. But our country, after many years of failed promises and trillions of naira down the drain, has a miserable generating capacity of about 6,000 MW on paper. In reality, the aged stations cannot generate more than 3,000 MW at the best of times. But only half of that figure is capable of being transmitted for the use of about 140 million Nigerians.

next time. . . try to back it up with a link. . . .just an advise

10q bro

Where is Yar’Adua’s power sector emergency blueprint?
By Adebolu Arowolo
Monday, 21 Jan 2008

During the electioneering campaigns early last year, Alhaji Umaru Yar’Adua promised that he would declare a state of emergency to liberate the beleaguered power sector within six months of assuming office. “Our plan is to launch a national emergency programme on the power sector, because we believe that there cannot be any meaningful industrial development without steady power supply,” Yar’Adua vowed.

Eight months into the present dispensation, however, the nation is still groaning in darkness. The poor and chaotic supply of electricity, which the President met on ground, has been allowed to deteriorate further. What is more appalling is that a ‘go-slow’ approach to power sector revival is fast supplanting the sense of urgency earlier expressed by Yar’Adua before taking office. Hope is fast crumbling, giving way to despair. The way forward for the sector is foggy. Nobody is sure of the next step to be taken by the President. When is he going to unfold the hackneyed emergency blueprint for the sector? Personally, my patience is wearing thin.
The President’s tentativeness is already threatening to completely wipe out the real sector. The tardy approach and delayed action is inflicting maximum damage on our productivity. The manufacturing sector is reeling in terminal distress. Owing largely to erratic power supply which has castrated the real sector, the nation’s economy has become more introverted and import-dependent. We now have little or nothing to sell to the outside world except crude oil.

The nation’s trade surplus declined sharply from N2.9tn recorded in the first half of 2006 to N1.8tn in the first half of 2007. To show that the productive base of the economy is collapsing, import rose sharply by about 80 per cent from about N1tn to N1.8tn during the period. Those figures must have dipped further in the past six months owing to the sharp deterioration of the power supply crisis. The Manufacturers’ Association of Nigeria has consistently claimed that its members suffer up to 40 per cent cost disadvantage as a result of the lingering energy crisis.

The problem of unemployment is being heightened as more and more firms crash under the unbearable cost burden inflicted by unremitting energy crisis. The products and services of many firms are uncompetitive at the global marketplace because all business entities are compelled to incur additional cost of production, as they have to provide alternative sources of power supply. It is estimated that many real sector operators and individuals do not get up to eight hours of electricity supply per day from the Power Holding Company. The remaining 16 hours is sourced from diesel-powered generators.

Experience at individual level has been equally bitter. As a man who depends on continuous reading and writing for my living, the power supply crisis has not helped in any way. At Oko-Oba Residential Scheme 1, where I live, I receive only about 5 hours of public power supply per day: About three hours in the evening from 6 to 9pm, and another two hours in the morning from 5 to 7am. Because the work must be done, I have two generators and countless rechargeable lamps. As they pack up, I buy new ones. Only last week, I was forced to invest on two solar-powered lamps and lanterns. To avoid the air and noise pollution associated with generating sets, I also hope to buy more power inverters.

Those smart Chinese and Koreans have cashed in on the ever-widening power supply gap to introduce new lighting devices to the Nigerian market, and they are laughing all the way to the bank as many of us are forced to look for alternative sources of electricity supply for domestic use. Though many of the products are fake and unreliable, what can we do?


Like individuals, many firms who depend on generating sets for running their factories face the unacceptable double whammy of also having to pay huge bills to PHCN for power not supplied. Whenever we accuse the mobile telecom firms of poor and unsatisfactory services, they are quick to point at the escalating production cost occasioned largely by poor and epileptic power supply. MTN, for instance, claims to be spending N700m monthly on diesel to power its generator-driven base station around the country.


The demand for generating sets and ancillary products has soared to unprecedented level in past years. The United Kingdom-based African Review of Business and Technology magazine reckons that Nigeria spends $152m annually on the procurement of different brands of generators. This prodigal nation, according to the survey, is the largest importer of generating sets in the world.


The heavy cost burden imposed by the power supply crisis has been compounded by the rising cost of diesel. Indeed, it is only petrol that is available in Abuja, Lagos and some western parts of the country at official rates. Other petroleum products have never sold anywhere at officially dictated prices. In defiance of official price ceiling, diesel, for instance, is selling at between N90 and N110 per litre, thus making nonsense of the subsidy regime.


What is surprising is that, in the face of this hostile and stifling power supply regime, the Yar’Adua government has been boasting that it wants to put the nation in the group of 20 largest economies by the year 2020. But how can we be among the largest economies when our power sector is moving us backward toward the pre-industrial age? How can a nation in darkness achieve the Millennium Development Goals by 2015? How can a nation whose manufacturing sector is hobbled by perennial energy supply crisis ever hope to develop? How can we fight poverty and unemployment when the nation is fast de-industrialising?

Those countries that understand the inevitable nexus between development and the supply of electricity are not joking or playing politics with the power sector. South Africa, with a population of about 40 million, is currently generating about 36,000 MW. With a population of about 79 million, Egypt generates about 23,000 MW. Iran, which has a population of 70 million, presently generates 42,000 MW. But our country, after many years of failed promises and trillions of naira down the drain, has a miserable generating capacity of about 6,000 MW on paper. In reality, the aged stations cannot generate more than 3,000 MW at the best of times. But only half of that figure is capable of being transmitted for the use of about 140 million Nigerians.

I have heard the stories of how the $10bn or N1.22tn spent by OBJ in eight years failed to translate into improved power supply. I also agree with the opposition that those who participated in the power sector bazaar and cronyism under the past administration should be in jail. But where is Yar’Adua’s own revival plan for the sector? He should give us, without further delay, his own roadmap to a resuscitated power sector.



http://www.punchont heweb.com/ Articl.aspx? theartic= Art2008012116027 71

those questions should have been asked while he was campaigning. this is one of the things wrong with nigeria's "electoral" system

@bawomol
The electoral system in Nigeria does not allow you to ask questions. No public debate, they just force it down your throat with alot of rented crowd. Issues are discussed in Nigeria.

@bawomol
The electoral system in Nigeria does not allow you to ask questions. No public debate, they just force it down your throat with alot of rented crowd. Issues are never discussed in Nigeria.

It is a shame and it is very sad.

Something in me like the gentleness and meek, maybe humility of YAR A'DULL but quite frankly Nigerians need someone like OBJ in terms of agression. or pro active shall I say. ( of course it was OBJ failure that bring someone like YAR A'DULL) and OBJ biggest failure is the power sector.

But on the whole the majority of people who have lead us up on till now including YAR A'DULL  are intellectually bankrupt.

For a start, it is either mr. President does't know what is called emergency or he is outright dishonest during the election campaign. I will say the latter because he is suppossed to be the first graduate president of Nigeria.

Secondly, this President and i hope to be corrected in the near future has no idea what to do about running the country.

As the word in the bible said that my people perish for lack of knowledge and  I will say Nigerian leaders make their people to perish for lack of vision and plan.

Now, how many people can honestly say with their hands on their chest what Mr. YAR A'DULL vision and plan is.

We have this soundbite 7 point agenda and 2020 vision which are simply rhetorics.

How sunday will look like you usually get the idea on Saturday. If this government has spent 8 months and all they are doing is awarding themselves salary increase of more than 100% my people you can begin to see the handwriting on the wall.

Let us look at policies.

POWER/ENERGY/ELECTRICITY.

After 47 years of independence, no part of the country has power 12 out 24 hours a day on average. How do you run industry or encourage people to run big business. we need at least 50,000Mw, we have about 3,000MW (6% of what we need)

The solution I will say and say again is very simple but there is no POLITICAL WILLPOWER.

TRANSPORT NETWORKS

Good roads, bridges, safe airports and airlines and trains/railways, mass transit and waterways transport- ie. intergrated transport services.

PRIVATE ENTERPRISES SCHEMES

A creation of 6 geo political business Zone to take away pressure from Lagos and Abuja, onitsha, Aba etc

I can go on and on but the whole thing is so simple but the power that be simply don't want to do it because it is not in their personal interest.

Unless thers is a revolution of vision, we would certainly all die of poverty (not necessarily financial) Malaysia and dubai are like us over 30 years ago, see where they are today.

When YAR A'DULL use to read up his speech about 2020 I became convinced that he is clueless. The way we are now, we have no chance becoming one of the 20 leading countries of the world in 2050.

I will say that sometimes degree and certifcates make some people more stupid than people who didn't go to school, at least those that didn't go to school have common sense to fall back on whereas our so called graduate president cannot see that their magic wand will not make 2+2  to equal 5.

If they are deceiveing me or us , we should not deceive ourselves. 8 months which is 1/6th of YAR A'DULL term we don't seems to have clue as to which direction he is going, to me that is a recipe for failure?

I prayed and hope that I am wrong for sake of all good and well meaning Nigerians  of my view that this President will not do anything meaningful.

@Vigasimple
your post is quite instructive. My view is that the mafia of generator importers and sundry dealers seem to have capture Mr. President and his cabinet. How do you expect power when the duaghter of a former President goes abroad under a fake name to corner power contract. Funny thing is she ordinarily does not know how to light a candle. Shame

@ Palmwine

I must say I like your name. Maybe if you can find a way to give some of our leaders some palmwine to drink you maybe able cajole them to do something.

Let me start by saying that YAR A'DULL and every nigerians know about the generators, cabals and all other people who can attempt to stop the power sector from working. So one would have thought YAR A'DULL has studied the issues before the Election (or selection) and he is clear about how he is going to deal with it.

In any event even then all the cabals, generator and Diesel people are al excuse for a leader withouth spine or willpower. There several ways of giving a child breast as they say in Nigeria. So if I were the President I will try carrot and stick and it is for the anti-good plc to choose whether they want carrot or stick. The biggest way is to go from grass root and build power in each local authority as a business with every citizen of those local government owning shares as a stakeholder.

So, you turn the fight between generator people, diesel people and cabal versus the ordinary people. If the ordinary people can't win, then Nigerians are doomed but I can assure you they will win because it is a local stuff 65MW in each local government.

The three things I have highlighted before in my previous post on this matter can be taken out of politics and profits. 

1. power/energy
2. transport network
3. Biz zones (6 geo political zones)


Then we will have basic infrastuctures,

People can do borehole water, can send kids to private schols and hospitals or this can be the next generation of what govt will tackle.

As far as I am concern the govt led by YAR A'DULL cannot think out of the box.

For everything in life, where there is a will, there is a way

I will show Mr. president how to do it within 3-6 months and we would have full 50,000MW latest within 4 years if not less.

If mr. president doubt me he can print out all  his findings and problems and solution and i will even give him a better one.

AS they say in Yorubaland, if you prepare how to be mad in 3 years , when would you start the madness or how many years the madness will take.

Let me give you a clue. Supossing Nigeria is a new country the way ABUJA was created 30 years ago and we need light, we simply start from fresh.

It will even be better, we know how much megawattts that we need and the average costs of each megawatts is now $1m per 1MW so we know that all in all it will costs $50Billion dollars to do it, the question is where do we get the monies from. The know how and the raw materials is never a problem.

We have 774 local govts. each local govts will cost $65Million dollars to build sufficient power. common on. ordinary trader at Marina or Oyingbo can solves this problem.