Ben Ezechime, Enugu
The Chairman of public affairs analysts in Enugu State, Dr Ambrose Igboke, has called on the Federal Government of Nigeria to ignore advice from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank on the issue of Electricity Subsidy.
He made the call in an interview with Journalists in Enugu while reacting to the recent increase in Electricity tariff, insisting that most advanced countries subsidise for their citizens.
“This government is all about revenue collection without recourse to the masses.
“This government is all about listening to IMF, World bank on how to remove subsidy but the US and Britain that are telling Nigeria to remove subsidy heavily subsidise their citizens; so, our government should stop listening to all these textbook institutions,” Igboke said.
He described the tariff increase as a deliberate effort by the distribution companies to rip off Nigerians.
“What they have done is a cut throat business measure which does not in any way have connections with cost of operation.
“What they have done is a shylock approach to squeeze out money from Nigerians and not in any way in connection with the inflationary cost of running business,” he said.
The renowned current affairs analyst maintained that before the current high rate of inflation under the present administration, the discos have been angling to increase electricity tariff.
“So it is not because of naira dollar parity as they are trying to explain to us.”
According to Igboke, the discos in Nigeria were given to people who didn’t have any iota of expertise or experience pertaining to electricity distribution.
He said: “It was like a political patronage most of the owners of the discos are in oil and gas and none of them are in the electricity business such that they thought it was a dollar making business.
“But along the line they got stuck and needed the CBN to give them loans around 2017 as bailout but despite this bailout by the CBN these people were still angling to increase tariff.
“Now part of the deal that they reached with Federal Government was to make meter available to every electricity consumer in the country but until now they have refused to do that instead they are providing people with estimated billing which means whether there is power or not people must pay.
“That is fraud and government is allowing this fraud to happen.
“This things are happening and govt looks the other way.”
He therefore called on the Federal Government to call the discos to order.
“I think the Federal Government should call them to order.
“I don’t know if they are making any returns to the government,” he said.
On whether states in the South-East can generate and distribute their own electricity for their citizens’ use and for industrialisation, Igboke said it was not easy unless they go into partnership.
“The biggest problem now is not the generation of electricity but the biggest problem is distribution of electricity
“You know that the discos since inception have been using infrastructures belonging to the defunct NEPA; so, the only infrastructure for distribution that is available belongs to NEPA, if you generate how do you distribute.
“Currently, Gencos are complaining that they have enough power but they are not selling because the discos are not buying.
“This is because the discos have a way of making money without giving their customers power.
“The cost of generation, transmission and distribution is quite high which will be difficult for state governments or individuals to undertake; so, what I think they should do is to enter into partnership with willing investors,” Igboke said.
