WHERE IS THE POWER? BUHARI MUST ANSWER TO NIGERIANS BEFORE DEPARTURE!

#CAMPAIGN FOR REFERENDUM AND NOT VIOLENT AGITATIONS! [NO.39]. –DR. DAVID OLUFON.  2nd October, 2022.

WHERE IS THE POWER? BUHARI MUST ANSWER TO NIGERIANS BEFORE DEPARTURE!

Like other social amenities of the Nigerian economy, ELECTRICITY is an evasive luxury not designed as democratic dividend for the poor masses!

In March 2019, shortly after his victory at General Elections, President Buhari in exasperation blamed past administrations for his failure to fix the energy sector in his first term because Nigerians paid for darkness instead of light because of services not rendered by his administration. 

It is no longer debatable that the power sector had become a total failure in spite of Buhari’s manifesto promises to fix it.

And he said that Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), should be held responsible for persistent darkness being experienced on daily basis by the citizens!

He disclosed that PDP claimed to have spent USD$ 16 billion dollars in the power sector between 1999-2015 but there was no power to show to Nigerians!

“There are no roads, no rail, no power but where is the power,” he queried?

He promised to deliver on his three-prong manifesto to ensure security, boost the economy and the fight against corruption!”

CONSTANT NATIONAL GRID COLLAPSE!

National grid collapse has become a monthly occurrence in Nigeria electricity sector. In the year 2020 alone National grid had collapsed nine times! (A grid is a system of special wires that take electricity from power stations (i.e., places where electricity is made), to all parts of a country.

The transmission system in Nigeria comprises of 330kv and 132kv circuits and sub-stations.

Thermal generation is located in the south of the country generally near the sources of gas while the Hydro generation is located further North at Jebba, Kainji and Shiroro.

The country has 23 power generating plants connected to the National grid with the capacity to generate 11,165 .4 MW of electricity.

IN SPITE OF THE HUE AND CRY BY THE PRESIDENT, HE MADE NO MENTION OF THE ENDEMIC CORRUPTION IN THE ENERGY SECTOR DURING HIS 2022 INDEPENDENCE ANNIVERSARY SPEECH!

President Buhari claimed that he had made significant progress in the eradication of deeply rooted corruption in all areas of national development. 

He claimed to be seeking international support for the repatriation of illicit monies which had been corruptly taken out of the country and added that the increasing number of prosecutions and convictions by law enforcement agencies including the refunds of large sums of money from such interventions are still ongoing. 

But he did not mention any probe in respect of the USD$ 16 billion US dollars that was completely scammed during the 16 years of PDP administration!

 

QUESTIONS:

1) HOW MUCH HAS BUHARI ADMINISTRATION SPENT ON THE ENERGY/POWER SECTOR WITHIN THE LAST 8 YEARS?

2) WHAT PROGRESS HAS HIS ADMINISTRATION MADE CONCERNING REGULAR SUPPLY OF ELECTRICITY TO POWER MANUFACTURING AND PRODUCTION SECTORS THROUGHOUT HIS EIGHT YEARS OF TWO TERMS?

In the month of June 2022, BLOOMBERG NEWS posed the following question to President Buhari:

Bloomberg: Nigeria continues to confront electricity shortages and your government has faced calls to modernize the grid or make the sector economical four stakeholders up and down the chain. Do you think you have done enough to address the nation's energy shortfall? What else needs to be done?

Buhari:

“On grid modernization, there are hundreds of ongoing projects and initiatives attracting funding from investors. Take my Presidential Power Initiative (PPI), a government-to-government initiative between the Governments of Nigeria and Germany which Siemens AG, to upgrade the electricity grid with a USD$ 2billion dollars investment. 

“Once signed into law the Constitutional Amendment Bill -  recently voted through Parliament- will allow state governments to generate and transmit their own electricity further facilitating investor participation in our market and enabling States and local businesses to transmit excess supply to the grid.”

“We are also decentralizing the National grid through renewable driven mini-grids. The USD$ 550 million dollars Nigeria Electrification Project has deployed more than 20,000 Stand-alone Solar Systems (SHS), as well as Solar Hybrid mini-grids in over 250 locations.”

All of the above statements by the old General are mere rhetoric’s! As usual, he has paid lip service to the POWER SECTOR - just as he has done to SECURITY, INTERNALLY GENERATED REVENUES, AGRICULTURE PRODUCTION, MANUFACTURING, EDUCATION, HEALTH FACILITIES etc.! 

The Presidential System in Nigeria is a SHAM run by LYING AND SHAMELESS LEADERS!

This is the time for all Nigerians to rise in unison and demand for a PARLIAMENTARY SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT which will faithfully cater for the needs of all Nigerians irrespective of tribe,  class, caste etc, and produce a PRIME MINISTER IN 2023 GENERAL ELECTIONS!

WHERE IS THE POWER BUHARI?  

Please share with your friends on internet and all social media platforms for wider coverage!

I am, yours sincerely, Dr. David B.A. Olufon, 08130669886, 08080243066. G-mail-dvdolufon@gmail.