Daily Independent (Lagos)
Geoffrey Chapp-Jumbo
3 June 2009
opinion
President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua in his inaugural speech on the 29th of May, 2007 offered Nigerians cause to celebrate by promising to tackle the energy crisis that had bedevilled the nation for some time. He further promised a complete overhaul of the energy sector to ensure that the populace enjoys steady electricity supply. He likewise said he wanted Nigeria to be one of the world's biggest 20 economies by 2020. This tall ambition would largely depend on steady electricity supply. The President went further to establish the National Energy Commission to investigate and offer solutions to the current energy crisis. He has announced that he wants the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) to generate 6,000 mega watts of electricity before December, 2009.
From the bare bulb-lit slums of Lagos to the flood-lit motorways of Abuja, cities across Nigeria are hostage to Nigeria's incessant power outrage. Things often go sour when electricity is cut off abruptly - a regular occurrence these days. The frequent power outages have resulted in crippling economic losses. Most households and corporate organizations have resorted to generators. Majority of the industrial firms in the country have equally resorted to generators and this has upped their cost of production. The masses bear the burden of the rising cost of production by way of buying finished products that have high price tags placed on them. Many poor households that can't afford generators make do with kerosene lamps and candles to illuminate their houses at night.
School children are equally grappling with the problem which is impacting negatively on their study regimen. They make use of lanterns and candles whenever the electricity supply goes off unannounced. Education being one of the casualties of an erratic power supply in the country, students in most urban centers have found a way out of this quagmire by reading under public lights on airport roads, major streets and at gas stations. These places have become covergent pockets of learning for students at night. Most rural and urban dwellers in the country now resort to firewood for cooking, thereby worsening deforestation.
There are presently 19 operational power plants in the country with more to come on stream before the end of the year. Aside from Kainji, Jebba and Shiroro hydro-power stations, the others are thermal power stations. The Electricity Corporation in the past blamed the frequent outages or load shedding on a sharp decrease in the volume of water at the Kainji and Shiroro dams. They equally attributed it to vandalization of gas pipelines to the thermal stations by vandals in the oil-rich Niger Delta.
Electricity distribution is hampered by thefts of transformers and high-tension cables. There is also the problem of obsolete and outdated equipment being used by the PHCN in this jet age. These have all impacted negatively on the operations of the PHCN. Recently, the Federal Government doled out a large chunk of money to the PHCN to enable it to procure modern equipment to enhance its operations. The Kainji Dam receives water from River Niger. The River Niger rises from the Fouta Jallon highland in Guinea and flows through Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger Republic before entering Nigeria. Some years ago, Guinea decided to construct the Souapiti Dam across the River Niger The construction of these dams has depleted the volume of water fed into the Kainji Dam, resulting in reduced generation of power. Drought caused by global warming has equally had a hand in the problems facing hydro electric power generation in the country. Aside from the Kainji, Jebba and Shiroro hydro power stations, the other power stations are all thermal power plants including those yet to come on stream. These thermal stations are all gas fired and because gas supply to these power stations has always been hampered by the crisis in the Niger Delta, power generation is badly affected. The unrest in the Niger Delta has similarly affected the coming on stream of on-going power projects in the region. What then is the way out of this grid lock?
-To be continued tomorrow
- Geoffrey Chapp-Jumbo (MFR) is an Assistant Comptroller of Immigrations.
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