Nigeria blackouts: Obasanjo calls for private control of electricity sector
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on ThisDay
Prolonged power cuts in Nigeria are impoverishing households and businesses, while institutions in the sector shift responsibility for the failures. Former president Olusegun Obasanjo is again calling for the sector to come under private control, This Day reports.
The managing director of the Association of Nigerian Electricity Distributors, Sunday Oduntan, apologised on 9 November over the prolonged power cuts affecting households and businesses. He said sector operators were falling back into the blame-shifting that had characterised the industry between 2016 and 2019, during a live television programme, according to ThisDay.
Power cuts are forcing households to pay for alternative solutions and businesses to incur higher costs to keep operating. This situation is causing, in particular, stock losses, reduced available cash flow and abandoned orders, according to ThisDay.
Electricity distributors, transmission network operators, power generators and gas suppliers continue to shift responsibility for the disruptions. Sunday Oduntan called for an end to this approach, as consumers bear the direct cost of the outages.
Former president Olusegun Obasanjo’s renewed call for private control of the sector comes after his appeal on 10 November to resolve the electricity crisis with the private sector. The power cuts had also been linked to the difficulties faced by young Nigerian entrepreneurs, reported on 11 November.
