The House of Representatives has warned that the lack of efficient policies is a roadblock to growth in the power sector.
This was disclosed by Rep. Magaji Aliyu, the Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Power on Wednesday at the third annual general meeting of the Association of Rural Electrification Contractors of Nigeria (ARECON).
The Reps Committee boss added that the relocation of certain parastatals and agencies under the Ministry of Power to other MDAs was one of the major issues causing confusion in the sector. He insisted that the Power Ministry must be given the free will to drive power reforms.
What the Reps Committee Chairman said
Aliyu said, “Today, you will hear that a particular part of the ministry of power has been shifted to another organisation, which I believe is an aberration of the concept.
“For example, Nigeria Bulk Electricity Trading Company, there is a tug of war. Where does the organisation belong? Is it in power or is it in the Ministry of Finance? There is an issue of Hydro-Power Development Authority. Is it going to the presidency, or is this going to power?”
He added that there are political machinations not to allow power to grow in Nigeria. He further stated that there are multiple issues in the sector, including Nigerians paying for power they did not consume, a phenomenon which he says needs change.
Aliyu also used the opportunity to strongly debunk allegations that lawmakers interfere in the procurement process in contract awards to contractors. The lawmaker said that the allegations were untrue.
In case you missed it
Nairametrics reported last week that the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) insisted the Federal Government must by December, implement the agreement to reduce electricity tariffs by N15 per kilowatt-hour.
The NLC, while serving a notice, warned that it would not accept the serial violations of agreements by the government.
