Ridiculous N8bn Demand by Power Ministry
CHIGOZIE AMADI
The proposal by the Federal Ministry of Power to spend N8billion in the 2025 budget to educate Nigerians on the importance of timely payment of electricity bills is one of the most insensitive, condemnable and wasteful spending ever proposed in the power sector since the sale of Nigeria’s power assets to the private sector.
The federal government had in 2013 sold the assets to the private sector that has the deep pocket to finance power supply because the government claimed that it lacked the funding capacity.
Ironically, the same government has continued to make huge financial commitments in the sector.
Having taken over 60 per cent of the assets and become in charge of collection of electricity bills, the private sector is supposed to sensitise the public on the payment of bills and not the federal government.
That is why the proposal by the power ministry to spend N8 billion in 2025 to educate Nigerians on the importance of timely payment of electricity bills is ridiculous, insensitive, wasteful, unacceptable and highly condemnable.
The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, had during his budget defence at the National Assembly claimed that the sensitisation would address the challenges of power theft, poor payment habits, and the protection of national power assets.
He argued that the campaign would be conducted through multiple media platforms, including social, digital, and print, to reach Nigeria’s diverse population of over 200million effectively.
Nigerians, particularly the National Assembly should reject this demand.
If the federal government has N8billion to spend on a sector that is owned by private investors, the money should be invested in building power assets to improve power generation, distribution and transmission, and not on needless sensitisation of Nigerians.
It is good that the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), through its President, Joe Ajaero, has condemned the N8billion demand, describing the ministry’s demand as “absurd”.
According to him, the power sector in Nigeria is at the brink of collapse as the helmsmen have repeatedly shown gross incompetence.
“Whereas the minister seeks N8 billion (Eight Billion Naira) to educate us, contractors in the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) who help in delivering capacity are owed over N200billion,” he added.
