Experts brainstorm on power sector

Experts in the power sector are in a summit in Abuja to brainstorm about the challenges facing the country’s power sector and how to address them.

The expert are part of stakeholders at the National Policy Development and Analysis Summit in Abuja on Tuesday.

The Summit was organised by Mr Ibrahim Hassan, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Policy, Development and Analysis, Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.

The theme of the Summit is “The Power Sector Unending Challenges: New Perspective”.

Hassan said that the summit was to bring together various stakeholders in the electricity sector to brainstorm and chart a way forward for the sector.

Hassan stressed that the issue of electricity has become worrisome, adding that the country has the capacity to overcome the current power challenges and move forward.

Dr Ransome Onwa, Group Managing Director of AITEO Group, said that Nigeria’s power challenges was caused by a systemic problem and that all hands must be on deck to salvage the situation.

According to him, the country is too big to light up at the same time, stressing that it is a mission impossible.

He recommended that for 24 hours power supply, there was need for different investors to concentrate on different areas of the country.

Another expert, Mr Magaji Mu’azu, said that there was need to reverse the privatisation of the power sector.

According to him, the privatisation process of the country’s power sector was faulty and was a contributory factor to the current challenges bedeviling the sector.

He said the professionals that genuinely came for the sector were turned back and the sector was sold to people who were more interested in acquiring national assets.

He said the Federal Government should review the privatisation process with the view to correcting the anolmalities and reform the sector for better service delivery.

Another expert, Mr Dauda Abdulaziz, said that going back to the privatisation process was not necessary.

Abdulaziz said there was need to build capacity to move the sector forward.

According to him, electricity is an expensive investment and without capacity, the sector will not achieve anything.

A legal practitioner, Mr Mushod Sanusi, also said there was need to stay focused on market liberalisation.

“We should reform the process. During the privatisatiom, people were invited but never allowed to participate in the process. We need to sit down and have a rethink to get to the desired destination,” Sanusi said.

An online participant, Alhaji Mohammed Sajo, urged the Ministry of Power to enhance maintenance culture and bring policies that would create jobs for the teeming youths.

Similarly, Dr Roni Ajao, tasked the Ministry of Power to prioritize the power sector for better services to Nigerians.

Also, Mrs Nkechi Akubuiro said lack of transperacy, and accountability, inefficient billing , metering and supply should be addressed.