The House of Representatives on Tuesday squarely laid the blame for the deteriorating power supply in the country at the feet of the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mrs. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, for allegedly failing to release power sector funds.
This assertion was made by the House Committee on Power, based on the fact that the Federal Government has refused to provide funds for the running of power generation and distribution companies in the 2013 budget.
The committee chairman, Mr. Patrick Ikhariale, said during a meeting with the companies, the Ministry of Power and the Bureau for Public Enterprises that government stopped funding the companies on the excuse that they were being privatised.
He recalled that the House had earlier advised the government to fund the companies until their new owners took over full control but that the House was ignored.
The committee asked the minister to apologise to Nigerians for the current poor situation of power supply.
Ikhariale added, “What we have witnessed in the last few months is a monumental embarrassment.
“Nigerians are suffering of irreparable loss during this period; lives have been lost. At a point, somebody needs to tell Nigerians as to what happened, it is not enough for you to come here and tell us that the ministry had been given some money to be given to the companies to cushion the effect.
“The committee’s interest in the sector is paramount. We are witnesses to what is happening in the power sector; that is the downward trend.
“What we generate today is a far cry from what is expected.”
A response is being awaited from the Minister’s office.