Nigerian manufacturers, small scale businesses and
families spend an average of N3.5 trillion yearly to power their
generating sets with diesel and petrol due to unstable supply of
electricity.
Mr. Festus Mbisiogu, President of Good Governance Initiative, GGI, a
Non-Governmental Organisation, who stated this, pointed out that 70
percent of the problems facing the country could be effectively solved
through effective power supply.
He noted that epileptic power supply has posed incalculable hardship
to Nigerians, adding that Nigeria has become a dumping ground for all
manner of sub-standard generating sets, apart from being one of the
highest importers of generating sets in the world to the tune of
N17.9 billion annually.
According to him, due to lack of electricity, most businesses have
to rely on generators, which are very expensive to run, adding that the
unfortunate development has forced many companies to close down
because they could no longer remain competitive.Mbisiogu, a Nigerian
businessman based in China, however, commended President Goodluck
Jonathan for the slight improvement witnessed in the sector in the last
one year as it has gradually moved from 3000 megawatt in 2011 to 4500
megawatt in 2012.
The GGI president disclosed that statistics from the Manufacturers
Association of Nigeria (MAN) showed that it spends about N800 billion to
power its industrial generating sets to remain afloat, while other
small scale private businesses, banks and traders in various markets
across the country spend over N2 trillion fuelling their generators to
have power.
“In the banking sector, each branch spends over N4 million on diesels
in a month, multiply it by the number of branches in Nigeria. An
average family man spends over 60,000 in a month on fuel, apart from the
maintenance. Statistics show that every week, 5 to 10 people die as
result of smoke from generator. Life expectancy in china is 75 years
while in Nigeria it is 45 years because our leaving standard is very
poor,” he said.
Narrating his personal experience in Nigeria as an industrialist
which according to him was at variance with his experience in China,
Mbisiogu said: “To keep my Shanghai Engineering Construction Works and
Industry Limited working effectively in Nigeria, I have to spend N30
million on generators alone which consume over N2 million worth of
diesel every month, apart from its maintenance cost.
“I have never experienced such in many years I have been operating
same business and other businesses in China because China recognizes
that power remains the key driver of the economy. How could China have
had over 30,000 robust manufacturers, and how could every
family have had a business in its compound if their experience were like
that of Nigerians?”
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