Can the ongoing reform in power sector give Nigerians stable power supply? I listened and watched with keen interest on Channels Television the “Nigeria Power Financing Conference” held in Abuja recently.
If I should go by the speeches presented at the conference by the speakers, especially Minister of Power, Prof. Chinedu Nebo, I will confidently say that the stable power supply in the near feature is possible in the country but looking at the culture or the systematic pattern of governance in the country, I will doubt if the present government would indeed give us the expected stable power supply.
If our leaders or rather government has been keeping to its promises, the issue of stable power supply in the country should not have been an issue of discussion by now.
However, let me be honest to admit that the present government under the leadership of President Jonathan has made positive moves in ensuring and assuring Nigerians that epileptic power supply will soon be history, but it is not history yet.
One of the moves being taken so far by the present government to end the epileptic power supply is that of privatizing the sector, allowing the private individuals and groups to invest in the business of production and distribution of power without any interruption, interlude or intermission. Even though some critics look at this step as nonsense, let’s give government the benefit of doubt until it failed again before we can regard its efforts as waste and nonsense.
Let me at this point urge the federal government to do everything within its power to give us the stable power that we need and not the one we are experiencing ahead of 2015 general elections.
Awunah Pius Terwase,
Mpape, Abuja
