The presidential candidate of Allied Congress Party of Nigeria, Dr.
Obiageli Ezekwesili, has assured Nigerians of development in the power
sector if she wins the 2019 election.
She added that uninterrupted power supply would be witnessed in the
country.
In a press statement on Sunday, Ezekwesili said that the electricity
industry would be developed to employ more youths.
She said: “From 1999 till date, all the projections made by successive
governments to grow the supply of electricity to Nigerians, to either
6,000MW, 10,000MW or 20,000MW, have not been met. The Nigerian citizens’
desire and willingness to pay an appropriate price of electricity
consumed is seen in the great demand for generators of all shapes and
sizes, and how much they pay to operate and service these machines.
“The low power availability from the National Grid has meant that
corporate entities have to divert large amount of funds from their core
productive areas of focus to this critical area of reliable power
supply. The price of this is paid in not being competitive and great
loss of production capacities, which further impoverishes the populace.
“Our vision is to provide sustainable, affordable and uninterrupted
electricity supply to all Nigerian towns and villages, starting with
Nigerian cities. Our vision is to ensure that the Nigerian electricity
supply industry becomes fully functional, vibrant and employs hundreds
of thousands of young Nigerians, in both the on-grid and off-grid
segments.”
The ACPN presidential candidate also said, “Our immediate goal is to
provide the following Nigerian towns, cutting across the following six
geo-political zones of Nigeria: Lagos, Kano, Enugu, Birnin Kebbi, Aba,
Minna, Gombe, Lokoja, Gusau, Jos, Yola, Abuja, Ilorin, Benin, Owerri and
Ijebu-Ode with 24-hours, 365 days-a-year electricity within the first
four years of our administration.
“The other cities to benefit from this are Calabar, Katsina, Benin,
Warri, Ibadan, Ado-Ekiti, Maiduguri, Yenegoa, Damaturu, Osogbo, Bauchi,
Port Harcourt, Kaduna, Sokoto, Akure, Makurdi, Dutse, Abakaliki, Uyo,
Jalingo and Onitsha. The rural areas proximate to the towns will also
enjoy the services.”
The presidential candidate explained that stable electricity would aid
business growth in Nigeria.
She noted that challenges causing underperformance would be addressed
when she emerged.
“This electricity will be aimed at facilitating and growing business,
commercial and industrial activities, in a drive to create jobs and
increase productivity. Nigeria’s per capita electricity consumption is
among the lowest in the world and far lower than many other African
countries.
“The plan that will be executed for the power sector recognises that the
Nigerian power sector is in transition from a government to a
private-sector owned and operated industry; therefore, facing
challenges, which include, political interference, lack of elective
leadership, financial issues, distribution issues, transmission issues,
gas supply issues, and generation issues,” Ezekwesili said.
She added, “These issues account for the consistent underperformance
witnessed in the last 58 years and will need to be seriously tackled if
the potential of the Nigerian power sector is to be realised. To get
electricity right, thus rapidly improve electricity performance and
delivery gap to Nigerians, this plan outlines the change in approach
that the administration will adopt.”