Solving Nigeria’s Power Crisis Not Rocket Science – Peter Obi
2 years ago 2 min read
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Peter Obi has lamented the constant power outages in many parts of the country, most especially in the Northern and Eastern States, as well as South-South states, saying fixing the country’s electricity problem is not ever science.
The former governor expressed his dissatisfaction on his X page while describing the situation as “heartbreaking” noting that the affected areas have been subjected to total darkness for days.
“It is heartbreaking to see that the affected states, majorly in the Northern parts of Nigeria, have been facing a total blackout for several days now,” the post partly read.
He further added that the continuous collapse of power has put small businesses at risk of losses combined with the high cost of petrol and the unconducive business atmosphere in which they operate.
“The negative impact of the continued power outage on businesses, especially small businesses, who depend primarily on public power supply to sustain their businesses as a means of livelihood, is unimaginable.
“This power crisis, when combined with the present high cost of petroleum products and a harsh operating environment, remains a lethal recipe for widespread business failure and increasing poverty in the country,” the tweet read.
Peter Obi compared the power status of Nigeria with other African nations, pointing out that small businesses in Egypt account for 80% of the country’s Gross Domestic Product(GDP) following their heavy investment in the power sector.
He, however, called on the government to do the needful to cushion the effect of the constant power failure while including that solving the country’s power crisis is not a hard nut to crack.
“I have consistently maintained that solving Nigeria’s power and energy crisis is not rocket science.
“Many of our comparable peer nations have demonstrated how possible it is to provide sustainable power for their citizens.
“Our African neighbour, Egypt, for example, invested aggressively in their power sector, which resulted in the establishment of a sustainable power infrastructure by way of many power stations.
“Today, Egypt has revolutionised power and energy production in the country, providing sustainable power to millions of small businesses, which account for over 90% of active enterprises in the country and contribute to over 80 per cent of their GDP.
“My sincere thoughts are with everyone enduring these tough times in our nation.
“I call on the government to ramp up efforts and provide both immediate and long-term solutions to this seemingly perennial challenge,” Peter Obi tweeted.
