THE All Nigerian Peoples Party (ANPP) Thursday accused the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of not painting the true picture of electricity supply in the country.
In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Emma Eneukwu, ANPP said it is disheartening that the government is yet to go near fulfilling its 14,000 megawatts promise to improve electricity supply by the end of this year.
The party accused President Goodluck Jonathan-led government of plotting to avoid the wrath of Nigerians by the time the elections would be due in 2015 by shifting the power roadmap policy to 2016.
In a statement recently released from the office of the Presidential Task Force on Power (PTFP), the spokesperson for the Task Force, Mrs. Awele Okigbo, was said to have stated that the electricity load shedding experienced by Abuja residents had been a result of the Shiroro Power Plant shut down for long-postponed maintenance evaluation, affirming that the shutdown resulted in the loss of 130 megawatts from February 12, causing electricity supply in the city to be affected predominantly during the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.
But the ANPP noted that for the ordinary resident of Abuja and elsewhere, there was no difference between the time Shiroro Power Plant was shut down and the time it worked at full capacity because electricity supply was always erratic.
According to the ANPP, the PTFP's excuse epitomises the constant rationalisation the Federal Government dishes to the people in order to cover up its inability to fulfill its promises to Nigerians on electricity supply.
The party noted: " In 2010, Jonathan launched the Power Road Map which contained policies and institutional reforms. It promised to implement a super transmission network, generate additional 5,000 megawatts through the international oil companies, and active exploitation of hydro, nuclear and coal power, privatisation of the power sector and an addition of 4, 775 mega watts from the Independent Power Plants (IPPs).
"He promised Nigerians that they should expect 14,000 megawatts power generation at the end of 2013. We are now almost ending the first quarter of 2013 and Nigeria cannot boast of 4,000 watts anymore. The unbundling of the PHCN and the implementation of the Multi Year Tariff Order (MYTO 2) have not resulted into improved power supply, rather it is squeezing out more electricity tariff from the hapless citizens.
"What the PDP government has done is to hastily postpone the Power Road Map. In the policy somersault, the projections for the use of the various fuel and energy sources have now been conveniently shifted to 2016, so that Nigerians will not hold them accountable at the end of this tenure in 2015.
"Meanwhile, our economy is bleeding heavily from the monies spent on alternative power supply. Good Governance Initiative in its 2013 report stated that N3.5 trillion is spent by Small and Medium Enterprises, manufacturers and families to generate electricity for private consumption while the bills incurred by government institutions and establishments also run into trillions of naira."
Eneukwu said the ANPP " believes that the Federal Government is not creative in power generation. Energy efficiency and renewable sources of power are not deployed effectively to supply power to the people just as it is done in other parts of the world. This will even create more green jobs for the many unemployed youths of this greatly endowed nation.
"We believe that boasting and prevaricating with figures and megawatts with nonexistent commensurate impact in the lives of the ordinary Nigerian is not the way to go, but tackling the inefficient power sector head-on. Officially, Nigeria's power generation has dropped from its December 2012 figure of 4,502 megawatts to 4,286 megawatts, though there are suggestions from various informed quarters that the actual generation is 3,700 megawatts."
The Guardian