The convener of PowerUp Nigeria, a consumer rights advocacy group, Adetayo Adegbemle, on Tuesday, raised concern over the leadership vacuum at the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission following the failure of the Senate to screen the NERC’s Chairman nominee, Engr. Ramat Abdulahi.
THE WHISTLER recalls that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had two months ago appointed Abdullahi, a Kano State indigene to replace Engr Garba Sanusi, who had attained 70 years of age.
This medium also recalls that the President sent the names of Ramat and two other new commissioners to the Senate for confirmation on October 7.
Despite the development, the NERC’s chairman nominee is yet to be screened by the Senate and no official statement has been issued to the effect.
However, Adegbemle in a statement sent to The WHISTLER in Abuja on Tuesday, decried the delay in Abdullahi’s screening and subsequent confirmation as the substantive NERC chairman.
He said the uncertainty over Abdullahi’s fate is good for the country’s power sector.
Adegbemle accused the Federal Government of negligence, saying,” FG is not helping, we cannot have an uncertain leadership at the Ministry, and now add another uncertainty at the regulatory level”.
He continued: “It has been over 23 days since the name of the NERC Chairman nominee has been forwarded to the Senate Committee on Power. We still have not heard anything, whether the Nominee will be given the nod, or not.
“Several nominations have gone to the Senate and have been granted since the name of the NERC chairman nominee was sent.
“This uncertainty does not bode well with the health of the power sector . This is not good for the power sector”.
