A former Governor of Niger State, Muazu Babangida Aliyu, has debunked Federal Government’s claim of generating 7, 000 megawatts of electricity. He countered the declaration yesterday, at a socio-political movement by his former appointees in Minna, the Niger State capital.He said contrary to the statement, the country is presently generating only 5, 000 megawatts of electricity.
At the event titled: ‘Servant Leadership Forum’ Aliyu said Nigeria has the potential to generate 36,000 megawatts of electricity through solar power alone.The former governor urged the Federal Government to muster the political will to grant $1million to each state of the federation for the project.He also enjoined the Federal Government to direct the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to release the money from the excess crude account and monitor its utilisation.
According to him, doing so would make the country to be “self sufficient in energy supply, boost industrialisation and reduce unemployment.” Babangida also canvassed ‘rich states like Lagos and Port Harcourt’ to construct Independent Power Plants (IPPs), which he noted was too expensive.On way out of the herdsmen and farmers clashes across the country, he said grazing reserves could solve the problem.
He, however, urged the Federal Government to bear the financial burden of their establishments. He denied the rumour that he was planning to defect to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Meanwhile, the Management of Jos Electricity Distribution (JED) Plc. has refuted allegation that the company’s tariff is the most exorbitant in the country. Speaking in Jos yesterday, the company’s Chief Executive, Mohammed Modibbo, disclosed that its retail tariff remains within the same bracket as other distribution companies across the country.
He said the current tariff regime had not changed since its approval by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), after extensive customer consultation in December 2015.
In a statement by Head, Corporate Communications of the JED, Dr. Friday Adakole Elijah, he further stressed that contrary to speculation, distribution companies are facing severe liquidity constraints.He said they are presently charging far below cost prices, in the delivery of electricity to its retail customers.Modibbo expressed concern that consumers are likely to pay almost 100 per cent increase, if economic indices as inflation and foreign exchange are applied to the tariff.
