Lawan Calls On FG to Reverse Privatization of Power Sector as Senate Urges FG to Suspend Planned Electricity Tariff Hike

Senate President Ahmad Lawan, has called on the federal government to review or reverse the privatization of the country’s power sector to avoid the collapse of the sector.

Lawan made the call on Tuesday during the debate on the motion, “Power Sector Recovery Plan and the Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic” sponsored by Senator Gabriel Suswam.

He said; “We gave them our common patrimony and  they still come back as DisCos and GenCos to look for money from the public.

“The time has come to review and probably reverse this privatisation, if we leave them for the next 10 years there would be no power in Nigeria.

“Like I said before this motion was taken, the privatisation has so far not been successful.

“We expected efficiency and  effectiveness in power supplies but probably on both sides, maybe the purchase agreements were not adhered to on both sides.

“What is obvious is that the DisCos particularly have no capacity at the moment to supply us power.

“The GenCos have challenges too. It is not good that we give them money for what  we sold to them. These are businesses.

“If there are areas we must intervene as a government, it  must be seriously justified.

“The way it is, I think there is need to review this privatisation to see what has happened. Something is certainly not right.

“In the event that this thing does not work properly, there will be need for the government to look into it.”

The Senate also called on the Federal Government to suspend the planned electricity tariff increase scheduled to take effect July, 2020.