The proposed two-month free electricity supply to Nigerians, spearheaded by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila, may have fallen through, according to findings.
The Ministry of Power, which is supposed to drive the initiative, is unenthusiastic about it as it has expressed concern that it could lead to a situation whereby the federal government would’ve to pay for electricity consumed by the rich.
But the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) yesterday said it would align with any position taken by the Ministry of Power on the matter even as there are divided opinions in the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI).
Minister of Power, Mr. Saleh Mamman, in a BBC Hausa interview at the weekend doubted the possibility of executing the proposal, which is estimated to cost the federal government between N100 billion and N120 billion for the two months.
According to him, the entire power supply chain is not owned by the federal government, but run as a strictly business concern.
He added that if the National Assembly insists on pressing ahead with the plan, its members should come up with fresh ideas on its implementation.
He stated that while the government was interested in the supply of stable electricity to Nigerians, the generation, transmission and distribution to various households were being done by private businessmen who would be expecting returns on their investments.
source: thisday
