Stakeholders meet over power allocation to Niger

Olabode Adaramola

Stakeholders meet over power allocation to Niger

Stakeholders, which include Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC), representatives of Kainji, Shiroro power stations and the Niger state government met yesterday  at the Government House, Minna, the state capital to chart  a new course for improved power allocation to the state.

National Wire  however observed that the representatives of the transmission companies were absent at the meeting

AEDC’s Head, Corporate Communications,  Mr. Oyebode Babs Fadipe told journalists at the sidelines of the meeting in an interview that stakeholders have agreed  that there was a fundamental problem of inadequacy of power generation, but stressed that the logjam requires a  national solution.
“As it is now everything generated in Nigeria goes into  a common pool  and  in the pool system, AEDC is entitled to just 11.5percent  of whatever is generated  at every point in time in this country . So, it is from that 11.5percent  that we have to serve Niger state, the Federal Capital Territory , Abuja, we have  to start serve Kogi and we have to start serving Nasarawa state,” he explained.

He said the allegation that AEDC was diverting whatever allocation meant for Niger state elsewhere was untrue, emphasizing  that “electricity is something you cannot store .  The worse that can happen is that you shut down Niger state, and that is not tenable because  it is impossible to shut down a whole state.”

He said one of the ways out of the problems inadequate power supply  especially as it concerns Niger state was an enactment of a new  legislation that would give special consideration on power allocation to states hosting the hydro-power dams.

He also advocated for political solution by host communities through special appeal to the presidency for consideration, stressing that current privatization law was however defective because it was  silent on special consideration to host communities.

“As it is now the Niger state government can write to the presidency to get political solution. We know that there is problem in Niger state and that is the essence of this stakeholders meeting. All the power generation company owners are at this meeting except the transmission company’s representatives “, he said.