Poor Electricity Supply; Niger Assembly moves against AEDC, summon regional manager

***Threatens to sanction Company

From John Adams Minna

Worried by the epileptic electricity supply to Minna, the Niger State capital and other parts of the state, the state house of assembly has summoned the regional manager of the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) to come and explain to it, the reason behind the current poor power supply in the state.
The house threatened to compel the state government to pull the state out of the AEDC jurisdiction to join another Disco if the situation does not improve.
The house decision followed a motion brought before it by member representing Bida 11 Constituency, Hon. Mohammed Haruna, asking the house to invite the regional manager to appear before it to explain the deteriorating power situation in the state.
The motion received overwhelming support by the entire members of the house who described the services being offered by the distribution company as unacceptable
It warned that if the situation is not improved the house will not hesitate to compel the state government to pull the state out of AEDC controlled states.
After much deliberation on the motion, the speaker, Rt. Hon. Abdulmalik Sarkindaji directed the clerk of the house to immediately write a letter inviting the regional manager of the AEDC, the state commissioner for power and renewable energy and other stakeholders in the electricity business to appear before the house on Tuesday next week.
While expressing dismay over the poor electricity supply to the state, he pointed out that since the so-called privatization of the the then Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) it has failed to meet expectations.
The speaker said that the current situation is worse than before the power sector was privatized, adding “the performance of the AEDC has not in anyway justified why the sector was privatized. The company has not added any value to electricity supply in the country.
“Despite the fact that the sector was privatized, consumers are made to provide everything including transformers, electricity poles among others before they can have access to it. They (AEDC) has failed in its entirety to provide the services required of them.
“The house may be forced to ask the state government to pull Niger State out of states being covered by the distribution company if the situation persists.
“This issue of epileptic electricity supply must be addressed, it is no longer acceptable, we need explanations because small businesses that is key to economic growth of any society is dying here in Niger state”.
More worrisome, he said is the fact that despite being the host to four hydro electricity dams in the country, the state can not enjoy 12 hours of electricity supply in a day, adding “this is quite unfortunate for our state. We as lawmakers are the eyes of the people and we will continue to speak for them”.
Recalled that the entire Niger state has been thrown into darkness for a month now with both government business and commercial activities at it lowest ebb. Water supply has been equally being disrupted as there is no power to enable water board pump water to residential houses.
Residents of the state capital continued to scoop water from all unhygienic sources, fueling fears of possible outbreak of epidemic in the state.