Nigeria’s power problems to persist until ... Agagu, Imoke

Idowu Samuel, Bola Badmus and Ayodele Adesanmi, Abuja - 18.03.2008

Two former Ministers of Power and Steel, Dr. Olusegun Agagu and Senator Liyel Imoke, on Monday painted a disturbing picture of the power sector in relation to electricity generation in Nigeria.

They both submitted that Nigeria would continue to suffer electricity problem unless the Federal Government approved an appropriate sum for the generation, distribution and transmission of electricity in the country.

The two ministers, in their separate testimonies on the alleged misappropriation of huge sums of money voted between 1999 and 2007 for power projects in Nigeria, said $16 billion reportedly sunk into the sector was even a tiny fraction of what was required to give Nigeria constant supply of electricity.

Imoke and Agagu also said the Federal Government must intensify efforts in privatising the process of power generation, distribution and transmission to willing investors with rational incentives, while appreciating the need for prompt payment of contractors handling sensitive electricity projects.

The governor of Cross Rivers State, Senator Liyel Imoke, who was the first to testify told the House of Representatives panel probing the power sector under Obasanjo’s administration that Nigeria had a lot to learn from South Africa in the management of the power sector.

Imoke said between 1999 and 2007 the adminis-tration spent a total sum of $6 billion on the power sector.