Power Outages:Varsity Don Wants Investors Sacked

Power Outages:Varsity Don Wants Investors Sacked

By Our Reporter

Following the incessant power outages in the country,a university don has advised the Federal Government to review or outrightly sack all investors in the power sector.

The don also demanded the total overhaul of both the electricity and water sectors in the country.

He also opposed the Federal Government’s plans to privatize the water sector.

He said government needs to reverse the privatization of the electricity sector as it had not guaranteed availability of power since the sector was privatized.

According to him, since 2013 the sector had not addressed the needs of Nigerians.

He urged Trade unions as well as stakeholders to unite and form a  formidable force that would enable them to fight against the privatization of water sector.

“Within a period of time, from 2023 to date, the country has nothing to show going by the number of  collapses the national grid has faced till date,” the don said.

Mande spoke to selected journalists on the sidelines of a programme organised by the Public Service International(PSI) with the theme, “Promoting Transparency and Decent Work in Supply Chains in Electricity in Sub- Saharan Africa” held in Kano on Thursday.

“We are here today to demonstrate on what are the impact felt from certain sectors, the service providing sectors of our own government, the water, electricity and waste sectors.

“What are the development of those sectors having been taken over by certain organizations in terms of privatization. Have we seen changes? Is it recording improvement or challenges in respect of those sectors which are basic sectors of the entire country.

“These are our common heritages, that Nigerians expected to have benefits from, and before 2023, there were series of privatisation of those three sectors, in terms of electricity, water and waste service sectors,” the don said.

He stated that government had taken a lot of steps to ensure the privatization of the sectors, but that from available research,there are lots of challenges between the government and the trade unions.

The don said there are a lots of complaints from the trade unions that they were not carried along in decision making when government intended to privatize those sectors,at least to listen to their views. 
 
“Nigerians are worried for government to have given our own common inheritance to certain groups of people and the citizens are not getting enough power supply.

“From 2023 till date, there have been about five collapses of the national grid after the privatization, while in 2024, it was also discovered that there were three national grid collapses, and in 2025 it was equally discovered that up to six national grid collapses had been recorded.

“In terms of metering, people are complaining. They have not gotten meters, as according to them, it is from the meter they will be able to know what they have consumed and what they are supposed to pay.

“The government has the capacity, the resources, to run these three sectors, noting that if government should take ownership and own up to these sectors, there will be proper control and maintenance as well as efficiency,” he said.
 
Also speaking, Comrade Ayuba Barde,the zonal organising secretary , North West who represented the Chairman, National Union of Electricity Employees disclosed that, “There are a lot of negative impacts on the country and the citizens as far as electricity privatization is concerned, from inception. 

Barde explained that before the privatization of the electricity sector, the union called the attention of Nigerians that “this policy government is  bringing on board is not good for Nigerians.”

“It is saddening and pathetic as people called us different names, castigating us that we have our ulterior motives for going against privatization of electricity, but the reality was that we were looking at the aftermaths, the long term effects this policy will have on Nigerians.

“Today, Nigerians can tell the  story themselves, what they have derived from electricity privatization, the light or the supply is no longer available as expected.

“People were paying through their nose, these investors that came on board, were only interested on what they will take home, as they were not keen in re-investing into the system,” Barde added.