FG Subsidises Electricity With Over N50bn Monthly-Minister

…Takes Delivery Of One Million Free Pre-Paid Meters For Nigerians

Worried by the incessant complaints by ordinary Nigerians over the unavoidable and periodic increase in the cost of electricity, the Federal Government had been subsidizing electricity supply in the Country with over N50bn monthly.

The funds are provided to augment the shortfall by the Distribution Companies who have failed to defray the cost of bulk electricity supplied to them by the Generating Companies.

However, following a minor increase in the tariff regime, the subsidy has now decreased by half, but still constitutes a serious drain on the nation’s economy.

Receiving members of the Hausa Guild of Actors and Film Producers, popularly known as Kannywood, the Minister of Power Engr. Sale Mamman expressed serious concern over the failure by the Distribution Companies to stabilize their operations to meet their financial obligations to other players in the sector.

He said it was in response to this unfortunate development that the Federal Government has been forced to partly subsidize the sector so as not to price the cost of electricity out of the reach of the common man.

Mamman explained that as part of measures to assist ordinary Nigerians over their frustration in receiving adequate electricity supply, the Federal Government was forced to categorize electricity supply into various bands between highbrow areas and low income earners to enable everyone cope with the cost of electricity.

He said, “Nigerians must understand that these companies were privatized long before the advent of this administration but the government has no alternative than to continue managing the sector before a final solution is secured.

“Through the Presidential Power Initiative and other intervention measures, the Government is diligently working to massively resolve all these inherited problems that have continuously frustrated the success of the sector.”

The Minister noted that most of the DisCos were sold off and managed as family businesses which had made it difficult to be professionally managed, but that despite this apparent difficulty the Government cannot roll back the privatization process.

Mamman regretted that while some of these problems persists, remarkable performance and progress has been achieved by the Federal Government, as the supply of electricity has stabilized at over 5,000 Megawatts, up from less than 4,000 Megawatts before President Muhammadu Buhari came to power.

He emphasized that Nigerians now enjoy stable power supply from 15 hours to 24 hours daily. The Minister blamed the shortfall or interruptions on supply to some quarters on faulty equipment and supply lines and called on consumers to report such developments to their distribution offices.

The Minister also pointed out that it was the responsibility of the DisCos to replace faulty transformers, electricity poles and cables whenever they occur and warned the Distribution Companies to stop tasking ordinary Nigerians with these responsibilities before they could restore power interruptions.

While commending Nigerians on their efforts to pay for electricity despite the present economic and social problems facing them, he advised them to minimize their usage of electricity by switching off their appliances when they were not at home or when they were not immediately needed in order to reduce pressure on equipment supplying them power.

On metering, Mamman according to a statement from his Media Adviser Aaron Artimas, explained that although it was the responsibility of the Distribution Companies to provide the meters, the Federal Government has intervened view of the public outcry over estimated billings.

He said the Federal Government was committed to supplying over six million meters free of charge to Nigerians.

About one million meters have already been delivered for distribution while the rest is being awaited.

The Minister called on the DisCos to expedite the distribution of meters free of charge to their consumers as a way of lessening their problems.