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…As MTN, MAN, others demand improved electric power supply
Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, has said that the state would require at least 1,000 megawatts of electricity to be able to power its existing industries, attract new ones, support small businesses, and also use domestically.
The governor, who spoke at an event organized by the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) made it clear that the gathering was not about lamentations on the country’s electricity supply woes.
He stated that Anambra currently gets about 100 to 120 megawatts from the national grid.
“And that tells you the gap between need, what is required, and what is available. So the lamentations and the opportunities are already spelt out. This is where we need to be. This is where we are,” he stated.
Soludo said that the purpose of the roundtable was to bridge the gap that exists between poor power supply and the opportunities, adding that his administration was working hard to solve power problems in the state.
“The regulatory commission is there. They have put together a very firm, and I’m sure, a robust regulatory framework for an effective, efficient, and robust electricity market in the state. They’re here.
“On our own part, I’m sure the information, the service, the needs, and whatever you need to participate in that market, that is ready for us all to play. The rest is with you.
“So tell us when, where, and how you are going to participate to fill in this 1,000 megawatts of need. That’s what this summit is all about”, Soludo said.
In the same vein, MTN Nigeria Mobile Communications Limted and the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) also demanded for vastly improved electric power supply service in the country, lamenting that the current poor service is affecting their businesses.
This is even as other business establishments and industry stakeholders expressed sadness over the country’s electric power situation, lamenting that the country’s poor power supply situation was taking tolls on their business ventures.
These concerns were raised at the Anambra State Electricity Market Investment Roundtable organised by the Anambra State Electricity Regulatory Commission (ASERC) at the International Convention Centre, Awka, the state capital.
Chairman of MTN Nigeria, Ernest Ndukwe, an electrical engineer, said that he was displeased that the country was still struggling to generate and supply electric power for industrial and domestic use when other countries were already moving to the next level of industry growth and economic development.
Ndukwe, who made it clear that without electricity, not much can happen in the country, expressed sadness over the country’s inability to solve its power problems when the world had already gone through various industrial revolutions.
“Electricity happened in the second industrial revolution. Isn’t it a shame that even in the era of the fourth industrial revolution, most places in Africa are still undersupplied as far as electric power is concerned? We need to change that direction”, he stated.
Ndukwe, who chaired the occasion, cited China and Singapore as good examples of countries whose power solutions may be studied by countries like Nigeria.
“China is the industrial hub of the world today. Can anybody guess how much electricity they produce? China produces 10.5 million megawatts of electricity. But China is such a big country.
“But I give you another example with Singapore. Singapore is a one-city state. And I tried to Google the landmass of Singapore. It’s actually about 15 per cent of the landmass of Anambra State. 15 per cent, and it generates 13,000 megawatts of electricity.
“Nigeria is only generating five on a good day. So that will tell you how much the gap is, not just for Anambra State, but for Nigeria as a country,” he lamented.
President of MAN, Dr. Ifeanyi Okoye, in his address expressed sadness that many businesses in the country were collapsing as a result of poor electric power supply. He, therefore, urged the government and other relevant stakeholders to take bold actions to solve the power problems.
“We are all excited that the state government is routing this idea; it’s a fantastic idea. But we want to see it consolidated and brought to fruition so that people will now benefit from it. We manufacturers are waiting,” he stated.
Chairman of ASERC, Prof. Frank Okafor, in his speech, said that the commission has provided a business climate conducive for investors in the power sector, assuring that his team would continue to sustain that.
Okafor, who called on investors to come to the state and invest, said that ASERC has provided relevant regulatory instruments that would help provide effective governance in the state’s power sector.
