Energy stakeholder urges government to prioritise power sector reforms
By Yunus Yusuf
A stakeholder in the energy sector, the Customer Consultative Forum for Festac/Satellite Town, Lagos, has called for further prioritisation of the power sector to boost economic stability.
The Chairman of the forum, Dr Olukayode Akinrolabu, made the call during an interview on Tuesday.
Akinrolabu suggested that the government could issue more licenses to private operators under flexible conditions to drive industrialisation in the country.
He recommended providing tax holidays or moratoriums to Distribution Companies (Discos) to enhance their operations while calling the elimination of discriminatory tariffs.
Akinrolabu emphasised that improved power supply should not lead to increased tariffs and advocated for the reinstatement of the National Mass Metering Programme (NMMP).
He added that improving and expanding customer metering were crucial for reducing disputes and complaints.
He further suggested that the government reintroduced the NMMP to hold Discos accountable for excessive billing practices.
“The first step is to evaluate the existing Distribution Transformers (DTs) across their networks and subsequently upgrade them to meet current energy demands, thereby minimising breakdowns,” he said.
Akinrolabu also noted that the government was grappling with significant economic challenges, along with structural issues within the power sector.
According to him, the current tripartite structure, where energy generation, transmission and distribution are managed by separate private entities, hinders competitive growth and improved energy supply.
He urged the government to deregulate the sector to foster competition and encourage state autonomy in power generation, thereby increasing the country’s megawatt
