By Patrick Andrew Abuja
Th e federal government needs to muster the political will to review the privatization of the power sector in order to revamp the present epileptic generation, transmission and distribution of electricity in the country. Th e former President of the Nigerian Institute of Building as well as President Association of Professional Bodies of Nigeria, Malam Bala Kao’je, said the review of the exercise is the only viable option available to Nigeria to reposition the power sector in the right path stressing that as presently constituted the epileptic power situation would remain unabated irrespective of whatever quantum of money is ploughed into the sector.
Th e board member of Green Building Council of Nigeria and former Minister of Sports said the review is inevitable because both the present generation and distribution fi rms lack the technical capacity, fi nance and professional depth and commitment to transform the power sector. “Th e epileptic power situation will continue because although the unbundling of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) was well intended but the entire privatization was poorly executed and a sham.
“It was bought over by newly formed fi rms without the technical know-how, personnel capacity, and the resources needed to invest in the generation and distribution of electricity. “Th e privatization exercise was clearly an in-house thing where some offi cials of the government perhaps thinking that it was similar to the GSM- telecommunications bought over the fi rms but soon discovered that they required huge capital outlay to invest in facilities and core technical personnel to generate and distribute power.
