Electricity hike: Reps summon Fashola

Minister of Power, Babatunde Raji Fashola, has been summoned by the House of Representatives.
He was asked to appear before Reps members on Thursday, to explain reasons for prevailing poor electricity supply in the country.
To appear with the minister are Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Plc (NBET), National
Electricity and Regulatory Commission (NERC), Generation Companies (Gencos) and Distribution Companies (Discos).
Fashola, the agencies and companies as well stakeholders in the power sector, were also at the public hearing.
The invitation followed a motion under Matter of Urgent Public Importance through Rep. Johnson Agbonayinma (Edo-
PDP), who called for urgent attention on epileptic electricity supply across the nation.
He recalled that defunct power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) was unbundled in 2010 into generation, transmission and
distribution companies because the Federal Government could not manage the company.
He said that splitting it and given them to private concerns was to ensure improved efficiency and profitability in the sector.Minister of Power, Babatunde Raji Fashola, has been summoned by the House of Representatives.
He was asked to appear before Reps members on Thursday, to explain reasons for prevailing poor electricity supply in the country.
To appear with the minister are Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Plc (NBET), National
Electricity and Regulatory Commission (NERC), Generation Companies (Gencos) and Distribution Companies (Discos).
Fashola, the agencies and companies as well stakeholders in the power sector, were also at the public hearing.
The invitation followed a motion under Matter of Urgent Public Importance through Rep. Johnson Agbonayinma (Edo-
PDP), who called for urgent attention on epileptic electricity supply across the nation.
He recalled that defunct power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) was unbundled in 2010 into generation, transmission and
distribution companies because the Federal Government could not manage the company.
He said that splitting it and given them to private concerns was to ensure improved efficiency and profitability in the sector.
The lawmaker, however, expressed dissatisfaction that in spite of privatising the
company at a “landmark 2.5 billion dollars’’, Nigerians were yet to feel the impact of the
exercise.
“When the Federal Government had the distribution and generation companies, light was more constant than what Nigerians are experiencing today.”
He decried the current situation where power generation which was over 4,000 megawatts when PHCN was operational had dropped to1,500 megawatts, throwing the nation into darkness.
Agbonayinma the low electricity generation contradicted government’s promise to in the new arrangement, provide 5, 000 megawatts to Nigerians in the first instance.
The lawmaker expressed dismay that the increase in petrol pump price, soaring rise in prices of food items, collapsed roads, unemployment, and insecurity, had contributed to the hardship being faced by
Nigerians.
The motion was then unanimously adopted by members through a voice vote and it referred
was to the Committee on Power for further legislative action