The presidential candidate of the Labour party in the 2023 general election, Mr. Peter Obi, on Friday lamented the current electricity crisis in Nigeria, stressing that the situation could be addressed with a strong political will.
Obi was referring to a report of uninterrupted electricity in Tanzania, where the country had shut down some electricity supply because it had enough.
He said the current electricity production cannot power or be enough for any of the major cities in Nigeria let alone the rural areas.
The Labour Party chieftain explained that while the Tanzanians could afford to ensure electricity supplies to all their major cities and the rural areas, that Nigeria cannot afford to supply electricity to 60 percent of its cities and rural areas.
According to Obi, “Yesterday, I read a report in the media on how Tanzania, our East African fellow nation, recently shut down five hydroelectric stations to reduce excess electricity in the national grid.
“Their decision to shut down these power stations stemmed from the fact that their electricity production was already enough to power their major cities and give electricity access to the rural dwellers.
“In pain, I wondered how our nation, the giant of Africa, could not be able to power even one of the major cities, for example, the capital Abuja, while Tanzania has succeeded in powering all their major cities.”
Obi, who quoted a World Bank report noted, “A World Bank report showed how strong political will and commitment have been responsible for rapid electricity access in Tanzania which has seen electricity access move from seven percent in 2011, to almost 40 percent (37.7 percent) in 2020.”
He added, “A similar report, in June 2023, showed that about 70 percent of 40 million Tanzanians living in rural areas have received access to electricity, signifying a monumental growth in the sector, while regrettably Nigeria’s situation remains the opposite.
“In Nigeria, 60 percent of our over 200 million people live without access to electricity, according to a 2022 Energy Progress Report.”
According to Obi, “Considering the economic loss resulting from the lack of access to electricity in our nation, which remains immeasurable and with the recent electricity tariff increase, one would expect that we would be able, at least, to power one major city in each geo-political zone soon, and increase our overall access both in the urban and rural areas.
“The government must, therefore, sanitise and rescue the sector for the good of the nation”, with a nationalistic disposition.”
He added, “If Tanzania could achieve such a milestone in power generation, then Nigeria can do it even better. With competent and committed leadership. A stable power sector is very critical for the journey to a New Nigeria, to which we remain committed.”
Chuks Okocha
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