Again Jonathan Failed To Fulfill Power Stability Promise To Nigerians

Speaking with United Nations diplomats on Monday,
31st January 2011 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia,
President Goodluck Jonathan made this promise:
"If I'm voted into power, within the next four years,
the issue of power will become a thing of the past.
Four years is enough for anyone in power to make a
significant improvement and if I can't improve on
power within this period, it then means I cannot do
anything…"
Three years later, in January 2014, in anticipation of
his 2015 presidential bid, the same Goodluck
Jonathan issued a six-moth ultimatum to power
companies to hurriedly address the power situation
in the country. Six months came, and six months
went, and today, Nigeria's power generation and
supply is at an all time low.
||"What this means is that over the next four years, if
Goodluck Jonathan is re-elected, based on his track-
record (or a lack thereof) of not being able to solve
the power situation in the country, cumulatively,
everyday Nigerian households will be forced to spend
$19.2billion on fuel, which is equivalent to
N3.1trillion."
Fifteen years ago, when Nigeria's democracy was still
relatively new, the People's Democratic Party told
Nigerians that we had a 6000mw installed capacity
of electricity, and "within a year, this would go up to
10,000mw." Fifteen years later, with over $50billion
spent on the power sector alone, we are now being
told by the Goodluck Jonathan administration that
power generation in Nigeria has "increased from
3000mw to 4000mw." With this inconsistency in
question, it is clear that instead of Nigeria's power
generation and supply increasing and progressing
under the leadership of Goodluck Jonathan, it has
gotten worse.
However, regardless of the inconsistent figures, let
us search our hearts and ask ourselves: has power
improved in our homes? Do we have more light that
we used to have? Or is the government spending our
collective money on invisible power generation
projects, while quoting fabricated power generation
figures?
Sometime in 2013, a legislative delegation led by
Senate President, David Mark, went to inspect the
Mambilla Plateau, that hosts one of Nigeria's hydro-
electric dams. With over N160billion ($1billon) spent
on this project, the delegation was expecting to find
a facility that had up to 2000mw generating
capacity. Instead, what the delegation found was that
next to nothing had been done on the project – the
dam site had not even been cleared; making the
media speculate that the money for this much-
needed project had lined the pockets of associates of
the ruling party.
Earlier this year, the Federal Government again
announced that an additional N752billion has been
earmarked for the power sector over the next few
years. In the atmosphere of this report, recent
studies have shown that due to the government's
inability to provide light for the people, today,
everyday Nigerians have been forced to spend
N796.4billion of their own hard-earned income to fuel
their generators annually. What this means is that
over the next four years, if Goodluck Jonathan is re-
elected, based on his track-record (or a lack thereof)
of not being able to solve the power situation in the
country, cumulatively, everyday Nigerian households
will be forced to spend $19.2billion on fuel, which is
equivalent to N3.1trillion.
Another 2009 study on electricity distribution among
the six geo-political zones in Nigeria showed that on
average, these days, Nigerians enjoy only four to six
hours of power supply per day. However, in 2009, the
Federal Government and the power holding
companies told Nigerians that of the 10 National
Integrated Power Projects (NIPPs), four had been
completed, and six were 80 to 90 per cent
completed.
More than 24 months later, and $8billion spent on
these projects alone, WHAT DO WE HAVE TO SHOW
FOR IT?
In this regard, it is time that as a nation, we begin to
ask ourselves: WHAT HAS THE PRESIDENT BEEN
DOING WITH ALL THE MONEY THAT HAS BEEN SPENT
ON POWER GENERATION SINCE HE TOOK OFFICE?
We must also question the significance of the
President's statement, especially when he said that if
he cannot improve power within four years, it means
that he cannot do anything…
The results (or a lack thereof) have begun to speak
for themselves…

Sent From David Aniemeka