Budget 2021: NGO wants new methods to resolve power issues

Movement for Socialist Alternative (MSA), an NGO has called on the Federal Government to introduce new methods to resolve power issues beyond allocating billions every year.

Mr Dimeji Macaulay, the Spokesman for MSA, FCT chapter made the call in an interview with our reporter in Abuja on Friday.

Macaulay was reacting to the 2021 budget presentation by President Muhammadu Buhari, which appropriated N198 billion for power including N150 billion for the Power Sector Recovery Plan under the capital project.

He said that the new methods should include investigation into all the past allocations, how much was duly spent on it and what was the outcome on generation and transmission.

“This isn’t the first time huge amount of money will be budgeted for power sector, past and present government in the past had spent billions of naira on power.

“We need to fight for improved distribution to consumers by metering the houses and also end excess use of public money by the Electricity Distribution Company DISCOs,” he said.

He said that ordinary people had to pay “through their noses’’ for electricity, adding that the DISCOs should bring to an end estimated billing.

Macaulay however appealed to government to ensure that the power sector budget should be supervised by the people.

“If it is a budget of recovery, we must see improvement in the next couple of months,’’ he said.