MUSLIM CONGRESS TASKS FG ON ENDING PERSISTENT FUEL SCARCITY, POWER SUPPLY CHALLENGES
The Muslim Congress (TMC) has declared that the continuing petroleum scarcity in the country requires urgent action by the federal government and other stakeholders.
The Committee on Social Mobility, the Economy and Politics, headed by the President of the leading faith-based organisation in Nigeria, Alhaji Abdul Wasi’ Bangbala, made the call recently during a State of the Nation address.
Alhaji Bangbala also said that the Nigerian power sector is facing a severe crisis with frequent electricity outages, grid collapses, and blame games among stakeholders, leading to economic hardships and security threats.
According to him, the Nigerian power sector is facing a severe crisis with frequent electricity outages, grid collapses, and blame games among stakeholders, leading to economic hardships and security threats. Some of the key issues attributed to the power crisis include gas supply shortages, vandalism, maintenance problems, and energy theft.
“It is rather unfortunate that despite efforts to reform the sector since the unbundling of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN), power generation remains low, necessitating urgent comprehensive reforms for sustainable and reliable electricity supply.”
He noted that the challenges facing the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) call for experienced operators through a transparent privatization process to enhance power transmission capacity.
“The ineffective enforcement of threats to revoke licenses of underperforming distribution companies (DisCos) underscores governance challenges, thus providing grounds for contract reviews and possible terminations for non-compliance to improve sector efficiency.
“With Nigeria’s stagnant electricity generation capacity and the need for alternative energy sources, restructuring and investments in hydro, coal, solar and wind energy are essential for the sector’s improvement and national development. Though, the crisis in the power sector is acute, there should be a more coherent plan to mitigate the challenges beyond hiking the tariffs.
He, therefore, directed a call to action towards the President Tinubu-led administration, alongside key stakeholders, to take all necessary steps required to address the worsening electricity crisis forthwith, ensuring a reliable power supply for all citizens and thereby promoting economic development.
