Again, President Goodluck Jonathan has shifted the target for adequate power from December 2013 to June 2014. When the Federal Government initially fixed the deadline for December, this year, and the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) as well as the presidential committees on power sector reform raised the stake on adequate power supply, Nigerians eagerly looked forward to the deadline. Now, they will have to wait till 2014.
To improve on the relatively stable power supply, especially in the country’s major cities as confirmed by some critical stakeholders in the power sector, an aspect the Federal Government cannot ignore is the apparent lack of team work among the agencies implementing the 2010 Power Sector Roadmap.
The National Integrated Power Projects (NIPP) status reports, presented by the Managing Director and CEO of the Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC), Mr. James Olotu, at several fora point to the absence of team spirit among the agencies driving the reforms in the industry. It is not in doubt that this development has impeded the operations of not only the NIPP, but other sister outfits.
Among the agencies that must key into the power sector reform to enable the NIPP perform better are the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP).
It is a known fact across the world that public entities exit to complement the efforts of other agencies to bring better services to the government through the implementation of government policies and programmes. But in Nigeria, this is missing as the agencies engage in unhealthy rivalry, which has derailed the execution of public projects.
If this practice is not checked now by the appropriate authorities, the power sector reform may be stalled, and Nigerians, who are to benefit from the scheme, would suffer and continue to groan under poor power supply.
It is on record that one of the first major upsets recorded by the NDPHC is the seizure or non-release of power equipment imported by NIPP contractors over the non-payment of duties. The situation assumed a worrisome dimension when the NCS went ahead to auction some of the NIPP containers after they had accumulated demurrage at the Lagos ports and other points of entry. Till date, some of the equipment in four containers are still missing and no one has been made to account for them.
That it took President Goodluck Jonathan’s intervention before the NCS could work out an acceptable arrangement with the NDPHC for the equipment to be released is unhealthy. The power sector deserves the declaration of a state of emergency or quasi-emergency to remove the encumbrances or bureaucratic bottlenecks to NDPHC’s delivery on its core mandate of power generation, transmission and distribution to the end-users.
The NCS revenue drive must not override the larger interest of the Nigerian people. In the future, NCS should explore better approach to resolving matters that affect projects in the power sector.
It is also a known fact that the inability of the free trade zones spread across the country to operate fully, several years after they were established, is due to a lack of collaboration among the NCS and the operators of the free export processing zones.
It is lamentable that these zones, which were set up to maximise the country’s export potential, are now comatose. This ugly incident must not be allowed in the power industry, because it drives other sectors of national life.
The Presidential Action Committee on Power and Presidential Taskforce on Power must also rise above board to facilitate the review of the 2010 power sector roadmap to address problems and other issues that were not anticipated when the blueprint was designed.
Vice President Namadi Sambo should sustain his frequent dialogue with NIPP contractors to ensure that they are promptly paid for work done and that the deadlines for all projects in the current year are met.
The authorities should endeavour to strengthen security around the NIPP contractors, especially their expatriates, to curb their frequent kidnapping or attack by bandits.
Minister of Power, Prof. Chinedu Nebo’s declaration of zero tolerance for saboteurs in the power sector is commendable. His focus should be on ensuring the smooth unbundling of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN).
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