Exposed! Why Nigerians Are Still In Darkness Despite N11 Trillion Naira Investments, Read Details Here

Thus is contained in a report by a non profit, non-governmental, advocacy research and capacity building organisation the Centre for Health Equity and Justice, CEHEJ.

This revelation was made known on Thursday during a media launch of the outcome of the research embarked on by the group .

The 70 pages report launched at the Ibis Hotels, Lagos is titled: “Kept In Darkness – Holding Non-Performing Electricity Contractors Accountable.”
The report was presented to the media by Dr. Yemi Oke, Associate Professor of Energy/Electricity Law, Faculty of Law, University of Lagos.
Analysing the report, Oke pointed that Generating Companies (Gencos) and Distribution Companies (Discos) are not entirely responsible for darkness in the country.

Noting that it is because contracts are given to some unqualified entities – contractors. “It is no longer fashionable to hold government or entities like Gencos and Discos alone for challenges witnessed in the power sector,” he said.
“Research revealed that Nigeria government actually expended huge billions of foreign currencies …essentially dollarised contracts in attempting to solve some of if not all the challenges that we face in the power sector.”
But he claimed that darkness in the power sector holds sway, because, “the non performance is largely due to failure to monitor those contracts or the misconception or procedural error or collusion by awarding contracts to unqualified corporations or those with pseuso-competences.
“Those contracts rather unfortunately got awarded to them due to entrenched and overwhelming influence they have in government or outside the government.
He noted that the contracts never get executed or poorly executed and in most cases despite after receiving full payments.
He urged Nigerians to ask the right questions in this direction and commended CEHEJ for taking the leap with the report.
Part of the report has it that, “The impact of corruption on the Nigerian society has been largely responsible for the poor and seemingly irredeemable state of the power sector in Nigeria.
“Within the last decades, over N11 Trillion Naira has been spent on electricity in Nigeria without a corresponding result or value for money. Efforts aimed to either trace the money or bring perpetrators to book have so far yielded no positive results.
“The country’s electricity landscape is replete with pseudo-electricity contractors, both local and foreign, who without any reputations records seem to have seized the opportunity of corruption in the system to win contracts that never got executed or executed poorly.
In the same vein, Barrister Sunday Oduntan, Executive Director Association of Nigerian Electricity Distributors (ANED) and Spokesman for All Discos said that challenge of distributing light is also connected with the quantities of electricity availability adding that security reasons are also a factor.
He further stated that in the next 20 years all villages and communities can never be connected to electricity in Nigeria in view of the facts and figures he reeled out.
He said for Nigerians to experience 24 hours electricity supply, a minimum of 30,000 megawatts is key.
“If we can get 20,000 megawatts today, we will be able to serve everybody minimum 20 hours of supply.”
He stressed that currently, “Nigeria has less than 5000 megawatts.”
He said among the reasons there is no light is because what we have is not enough for all, added to this: “We have a very dilapidated infrastructure.”
Oduntan further submitted that part of the problem is because “in the last 65 years Nigeria has failed to plan for the future and specifically in the electricity sector.”
Barrister Abiodun Ajayi, Chairman of CEHEJ Board expressed displeasure at the situation regardless of the reasons identified, he urged all stakeholders to do the needful.
“Let us be accountable and hold people accountable. He commended those in authority for showing a firm hand.
He however advised contractors to execute the contracts which they are given money for and also called for prosecution of those who fail to execute power projects.
Mr.Timothy Adewale, the Executive Director of the non governmental group noted that CEHEJ intervention is to help rather than complain.
“Let’s collaborate with government let’s partner with government, let’s see in what way we can help the government.”
He highlighted how CEHEJ is already doing that and that the impact of its work is already being felt at Federal Medical Centre, Ebute Meta and assured that in no distant time, the public health facility will become Nigeria’s first and only five star public hospital.
He assured that replicating efforts to change the narratives in the power sector is how they can help and in other sectors, especially focusing on the contractors.