Former Governor of Cross River State, Chief Liyel Imoke has recommended a good number of measures towards saving Nigeria from the age long power deficiency that had thrown many parts of the country into darkness.
In a keynote address he delivered at the 8th National Conference of the Guild of Corporate Online Publishers (GOCOP) in Lokoja, capital of Kogi State yesterday, October 3, Imoke stressed that one of the measures would be to remove the system from the hand of what he called “private monopoly.
“Reducing Nigeria’s power deficit requires a comprehensive approach that addresses generation, transmission, and distribution constraints.
“The solutions involve infrastructure
investments, regulatory reforms, increased private sector participation, and the adoption of new technologies such as renewable energy and decentralized systems. By tackling these
challenges holistically, Nigeria can significantly improve its electricity supply, support economic growth, and improve the well being of its citizens.”
Imoke, who served as minister of Power during the regime of President Olusegun Obasanjo, regretted that electricity supply had continued to remain one of the most significant constraints to economic growth.
He recalled that since1999, several
power sector reforms have been introduced, but that Nigeria’s electricity generation and distribution remain grossly inadequate.
“With an estimated population of over 220 million, Nigeria’s current iinstalled capacity of around 13,000MW only manages to deliver
4,000-5,000MW on average.This is far below the demand of over 20,000 MW, leading to frequent blackouts and reliance on
expensive diesel generators.
“To fully grasp the magnitude and impact of this challenging sector, here’s some sobering data of the per capita electricity consumption for Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa, and Ivory Coast based on recent data:
“-As of the latest estimates, Nigeria’s per capita electricity consumption is around 150 to 200 kWh per year.This low consumption reflects challenges in electricity access, infrastructure, and supply.
“-Ghana’s per capita electricity consumption is approximately 800 to1,000 kWh per year. The country has made significant strides in improving electricity access and reliability over the past decade.
“-South Africa’s per capita electricity consumption is estimated at around 4,000 to 5,000 kWh per year. This figure reflects the country’s industrial base and higher levels of electricity access.
“-Ivory Coast’s per capita electricity consumption is roughly 500 to 600 kWh per year. “Ivory Coast has been working to expand its electricity infrastructure and improve access to power.”
Imoke said that despite numerous reforms and investments, the power sector in Nigeria has
continued to struggle, adding that the challenge has been intractable and unresolvable.
“Over the years, we have seen multiple instances of unfulfilled promises for power delivery. The question would then be, is there a solution in the face of growing demand?
“To understand the magnitude of the challenge, I will first attempt to highlight some of the key constraints to reducing the power deficit
and then I will proffer potential solutions to them.
“However, I would start with reflecting on my stint as first, Chairman of the technical board and subsequently Minister of Power, when I introduced several significant reforms to revitalize the sector and lay the groundwork for the subsequent privatization and liberalization of the sector. As with all reform processes,
there was strong resistance from entrenched interests.
“However, we made good progress largely because of the strong political will of President Olusegun Obasanjo who drafted me to the sector after a six day total national blackout.
“These key reforms and initiatives include:
1. Electric Power Sector Reform Act (EPSRA) of 2005, enacted during my tenure, set the legal framework for the unbundling and eventual privatization of the Nigerian power sector. The Act paved the way for:
“-The unbundling of NEPA into 18 successor companies, 6 generation companies(GenCos), 11 distribution the companies (DisCos), and 1 transmission company (TCN).
“-The creation of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), the regulatory body to oversee the electricity sector, ensuring proper regulation, tariff setting, and consumer protection.
“-The establishment of the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Company (NBET) to facilitate the purchase of power from GenCos and its sale to DisCos.
“-The eventual privatization of the DisCos and GenCos, took place after my tenure.”
Earlier, the President of GOCOP, Maureen Chigbo, advised more than 100 members of the Guild to always distinguish themselves as entrepreneurs in the online media community.
Chigbo reminded members that online is the future of journalism, and that even traditional news organs have realized it and are rushing in.
“We must know we are mediapreneurs and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the online media community.”
She noted that the AGM is aimed at reinvigorating members’ businesses while adhering to ethical rules.
On capacity building session that started the Day One, the President said that the choice of experienced members to serve as resource persons was deliberate, saying: “We have brought our members that have succeeded in various aspects to talk to members so that more people can succeed. That is what peer review does to us.
“Today is capacity-building, peer review, and talking to GOCOP partners. We also have our annual general meeting (AGM) today where we give account of stewardship.”
Chigbo, who publishes Relnews, said that GOCOP has its own corporate social responsibility (CSR) projects.
“We will visit an orphanage to give back to society. We recommend this to all our corporate members because we must put something aside each year in our different publishing outfits to give back to society.”
She appreciated members for solidarity and support while commending Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo and the government of Kogi State for playing host to GOCOP members.
She also commended the organizing committee for painstaking efforts to make Lokoja-24 a bright event, even as she She gave kudos to the membership committee for strict screening processes to make the Guild a credible group of corporate publishers.
