ACF Demands State of Emergency on Electricity Supply, Says Minor Businesses are Collapsing
By Juliet Vincent
The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has called on the Federal Government and those concerned to declare a State of Emergency on the power sector as outages are becoming more frequent.
It stressed that the situation appears even more dire and frightening as statements from officials charged with the responsibility for power supply, the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) suggest that the problem is likely to persists interminable due to technical and security challenges.
In a statement by ACF’s National Publicity Secretary, Professor T. A. Muhammad-Baba, the Forum noted that the situation is a threat to national security and should forthwith be treated with the seriousness it deserves.
According to the statement, over the past one week and still counting, most parts of the northern states have been battling with sustained electric power supply outage, leading to a near total paralyses in economic and social activities, not to talk of growing generalised frustration of the populace.
“Home and office operate without cooling and heating and at night are literally thrown into the medieval dark ages of the primitive, pre-civilisation era,” it noted.
The ACF called for an immediate review of power supply allocation in the country since all consumers pay for it pointing out that it is unacceptable that while the North acts as a candle that supplies light, it is being melted down and plunged into darkness.
It stressed that this ought to and must change with immediate effect in the interest of national stability, fairness and equity, and called on elected northern state governors and members of the National Assembly representing constituencies in the northern states to speak out more vehemently and stridently demanding action on the problem.
ACF pointed out that the situation also exposes the gross inequities in power supply generation and distribution nationwide.
It said while the North generates substantial electricity power, it is ironically allocated the least in supply revealing that it does not make any sense that Lagos alone has eight sub-stations, while the whole of the northern states combined, harbouring more than half of Nigeria’s total population has only three sub-stations at Jos, Kaduna and Kano.
It expressed dismay that the smallest of small businesses, such as telephone recharge points, barbing salons, food processors and drinks sellers among others, from which millions eke out daily living are unable to operate.
“It has also been the same with medium-scale enterprises (such as rice mills, bread and confectionary bakers), that do not have alternative sources of power or cannot afford associated high fuel costs,” it noted.
