Nigerians should not expect improved power in next five years - Electricity Distribution boss

Nigerians should not expect improved power in next five years – Electricity Distribution boss

November 20, 2016Ben Ezeamalu

Lamp in Darkness

The Managing Director of the Benin Electricity Distribution Company, Olufunke Osibodu, has urged Nigerians not to expect any improvement in the power sector in the next five years.

Speaking at the 11th Annual Founder’s Day event of the American University of Nigeria in Yola, Saturday, Mrs. Osibodu said at least N250 billion is required annually to fix the country’s electricity sector.

“And we Nigerians need to understand that we cannot do it overnight, and in addition we have to pay for it,” said Mrs. Osibodu, while delivering the keynote speech titled ‘Beyond Oil: Sustainable Development for All Nigerians.’.

“We need to be ready as citizens also, to accept and live with the pain that we have to go through, and allow time as our friends.

“As Nigerians, often we are the ones that deceive our politicians. The politicians believe that the only way to go is to promise everything immediately possible. Promise that everything is possible today so that they can get elected. But when you see that it is not, so we want to give them time and use time as our friends.

“It is the same story for the power industry. When I tell my friends, that forget any improvement for the next five years, they are scared, but that is the truth. We need minimum of five years to invest before we see results.

“But very often, because Nigerians are impatient, we start pushing our governments and they start reversing good things they have done in various ways. So we need to be more patient.”

MINISTER OF POWER, WORKS AND HOUSING, MR BABATUNDE FASHOLA, INSPECTING THE KUKWABA POWER PROJECT NEAR THE GAMES VILLAGE, IN ABUJA ON FRIDAY (29/1/16). 29/1/2016/HF/BJO/NAN — MINISTER OF POWER, WORKS AND HOUSING, MR BABATUNDE FASHOLA, INSPECTING THE KUKWABA POWER PROJECT NEAR THE GAMES VILLAGE, IN ABUJA ON FRIDAY (29/1/16).
29/1/2016/HF/BJO/NAN

Mrs. Osibodu’s statements came despite the claim earlier in the year by Babatunde Fashola, the minister of Power, Works, and Housing, that the country would attain 10,000 megawatts electricity generation by 2019.

Apart of challenges of generation, Nigeria also has problems of transmission and distribution of the generated electricity.

According to Mrs. Osibodu, Nigeria is currently producing two percent of the total electricity it requires.

“In addition, in this country we have 32 million household population. In other words, 32 million houses by statistics. But on the national grid, only four million are officially customers of the various distribution companies.

“About 36 per cent of the power generation is lost either through commercial theft, illegal consumption, or non-payment of bills. But 14 per cent of that power is also lost through very poor network.

“In other words, the two percent that we have is even further played down. About 30 percent of the power, we all waste it, by forgetting to put out the light, many things that should not be turned on, and we pay for that wastage.”

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- Reposted by popular demand
  
  Muhamadu Buhari is a grand failure with no administrative skills. He cannot plan and hardly thinks.
  The proof that Buhari is a failed president is so glaring. His choice of aides, advisers and Ministers
  makes worse nonsense of Nigeria. Nigerians now cry and bemoan Buhari’s public communications
  team for having zero or less skills to communicate to the public sensibly and be believed.
  
  President Muhamadu Buhari who heads that communications team is himself the worst
  public communicator in Nigeria; not just for stuttering and stammering, and falling over
  his words, but for telling lies all over the place like a child without home training.
  - Rommel
    
    And Jonathan I presume fixed it before Buhari destroyed it?
Dr Pat Kolawole Awosan

Benin electricity distribution company, led by Olufunke Isibodu, must be compelled to resign as her utterance that Nigeria, must not expect improve electricity in the next five years shows her true wish and ulterior motive for Nigeria.She is working for the backwardness of Nigeria.She is satanic agent.
- Omoba1
  
  She is just plain honest and sincere with the truth.
  - taiwo
    
    Thanks sir. You see, most of our people live in denial. Even if fg & states spend all their capex on the power sector for 10 years, we still probably not have uninterrupted power for the whole country. Let govt completely hand off the power sector and concentrate resources in areas you and I don’t have resources to provide for ourselves like roads, railways, etc.
    - Omoba1
      
      Well technically the government claimed they have privatized the power industry and at the moment that industry is shrouded in tight secrecy.
      
      One thing I have come to understand with our Nigerian leaders and government is the habitual act of showmanship and the continuous behaviour of selecting incompetent friends and associates. Government cannot do it all but provide oversight when necessary.
      
      Obama did not build hospital using affordable healthcare Act. He only drafted a law specifiying what should be done. Our own government want to be in a facets our of society – housing, health, power, energy etc – the passage of the petroleum industry bill (PIB) has gotten to the stage where T.B Joshua needs to prophecy whether the bill will be passed into law or not
- John A
  
  Don’t you see that you can’t handle the truth, because you are used to lies from your master.
  She should resign for saying the truth fake Dr. or fake native Dr.
Omoba1

Now this is what I call reality check and I still think osibodu was economical with the truth. What is still strange is the investment carried out by the generating and distribution companies?
- a. p. ejiofor
  
  @disqus_bEE92CgUYu:disqus
  
  Electricity does not pain me like the FAMINE that BUHARI has said will happen to us from January 2017.
  
  Please is this useless president BUHARI bringing famine to my area in Edo state too? Did we vote for
  famine? It is Bola Tinubu and his group of liars that told me to vote for Buhari. They say BUHARI has a
  MASTERS DEGREE too. Too many lies! See us now – famine! That means no food in the market to buy.
  Does it mean we will have to start wholesale armed robbery across the nation to eat food now or what?
  Since I was born into this world I have not heard a president saying he’s bringing famine in January 2017.
  - Reposted by popular demand
    
    Just two (2) months ago,
    President Buhari led a Nigerian delegation to a meeting with American
    counterparts. President Buhari was telling Obama irrelevantly that rains have
    been so plentiful in Nigeria that there would be bumper agricultural harvest in
    Nigeria this year. President Obama just nodded at the irrelevant talk of
    President Buhari, since rains are not achievements or a result of any policy
    thinking. Now see.
    
    Two months later the office of the same President Buhari
    issued a public statement that Nigerians should prepare for the worst famine in
    the country from the end of the year. I can imagine President Obama shaking his
    head in disgust at how a country under a sensible president could ever turn 360° from
    bumper harvest to outright famine within 60 days.
    - ???????????
      
      President Buhari picked Audu Ogbeh – a graduate of French language – as the Minister
      
      of Agriculture of Nigeria. Why are you people surprised that famine is coming to Nigeria
      
      latest by January 2017, when Nigerians will start cooking house rats if all else is scarce?
  - Ms. Oluchi
    
    Which maters degree? I beg let us hear word. Does Buhari have WAC/GCE certificate to start with?
    
    Is it not somebody that sat for Wasc that WAEC will give Wasc certificate? So without school cert,
    
    how can a person jump straight to masters degree in his village in Daura, without going to any
    
    university all his life? You are one of the voters the APC liars swindled to the last in Nigeria.
  - Omoba1
    
    I think I disagree with you on having the finest education makes one a good leader. Leadership skills is a trait – education can enhance this trait due to exposure, but education is not a pre-requisite.
    
    I just think our president lacks the character and leadership skills to govern and lead this country. We have to note that Buhari is never going to get it right
- wwww9000
  
  SINCE BUHARI CANNOT PROVIDE ELECTRICITY UNTIL THE YEAR 2021; THAT MEANS BUHARI IS
  SAYING NIGERIANS SHOULD USE CANDLE UNTIL THE YEAR 2021, THEREFORE, IT MEANS THAT
  
  SINCE NIGERIANS ARE BEING TOLD THEY DON’T NEED ELECTRICITY, NIGERIANS MUST REPLY
  THAT THEY TOO DON’T NEED MUHAMADU BUHARI AGAIN THIS YEAR AND UNTIL 2021. SIMPLE!
arewethishopeless

Finally someone speaking the truth. PMB should have made her minister. Since no one and even the govt is going to spend 250 billion annually, it will probably take 10 years or more.
If the government spent more time telling Nigerians the truth, then we can all start to plan in the short to mid-term for alternatives. Some people are ready to go for solar modules in their homes. With the right financing from agencies like BOI and CBN, Nigerians could opt for this. Other solutions abound. But when we all base our assumptions on lies, we see how we make no progress.
What has changed?!
- Powerlessconscious
  
  You are very happy. The woman can only talk on behalf of branch not about the whole country. Come 2019 when Nigeria would have achieved 10MW she will come out and talk again. There are lot solar power project ongoing in the north couple with the COMING OF MANBILLA HYDRO POWER IN TARABA STATE. Nigeria will record unprecedented success by 2019 in every sectors. When dangote refinery is ready.
taiwo

More like a generation by the way we are going. In order for us to achieve any substantial improvements in electricity supply, the govt should fully deregulate the short to medium term, power generation, transmission & distribution should be focused on industrial/business clusters or areas. The govt should be honest enough to boldly tell us that we should continue to provide our own electricity via generators. In my mind, most of us the masses can provide our own electricity & water but we cannot provide ourselves with roads, hospitals, security & schools. To me these are the areas governments at all levels should concentrate on
lankasta

Osibodu is the first person in this Buhari government to admit the truth. On the other hand, Osibanjo keeps lying to the people: give us one more year, OR give us a year and six months, and you will see the miracle that we are going to do.
- Omoba1
  
  Please she is not a government appointee. Benin disco is a private organization. Please people should learn to enlighten themselves before they open their mouths and mind
  - Dejandon
    
    Bro, they have to find something to blame the govt each time. So they refuse to enlighten themselves, for an enlightened person would reason with the other side before calling a judgement. That is a task they are not interested in
J.J Johnson

@disqus_V4t7K5GdFD:disqus

Raji Fashola ruined everything…like a thief in the night

ALHAJI Raji Fashola is an utter misfit
in government. He is mentally bereft. He knows next to nothing about
governance. All he can claim to know about public governance he’d learnt at the
feet of Alhaji Bola Tinubu. But since a corrupt tree cannot produce a good
fruit Raji Fashola turned as the worst rogue in Lagos state government’s
history.

Raji Fashola has no theoretical training in political science or economics for just
one minute to understand the meaning of governance. He’s ruined the future Lagos
state with 530 billion Naira debt he incurred with no single functioning public
school to show for it. And that is after earning a whopping ₦3.2 trillion as Lagos state
gross revenues between the years 2007 and 2015 – which he just blew away recklessly,
like a drunken mariner.
- J.J Johnson
  
  @disqus_V4t7K5GdFD:disqus
  
  (2) Raji Fashola ruined everything…like a thief in the night
  
  That’s besides pocketing
  a chunk of Lagos state revenues, like a thief in the night, without being able
  to account for the missing 800 billion Naira under his rogue regime till today.
  Raji Fashola committed accounting fraud in his handover note by understating
  gross Lagos state revenues in his eight years misrule as 2.34 trillion Naira.
  That prima facie accounting fraud was to enable him escape with the unaccounted
  800 billion Naira from the actual revenue of 3.2 trillion Naira. It is a tragedy of
  ethical proportion that President Buhari appointed such a flawed character
  as Minister in charge of electricity. By so doing President Buhari announced
  to Nigerians that HONESTY IS NOT THE BEST POLICY.
Hank

My goodness!! What kind of God created these brainless people…56 years after independence and they can’t provide basic necessities to their citizens. The president has 8 private jets, spend billions of dollars yearly on presidential villa, low IQ senators and governors are 800% over paid, but they can’t figure out basic needs.
- Dejandon
  
  Clap for yourself. Your comment won the Internet Prize today.
  - Hank
    
    Seriously, Nigeria is like one of those kids that spent 12 years in a 4-year program and still could not graduate….daft.
McAlfred Uta

It is only in Nigeria that people are appointed into position they have no basic knowledge of. Check out Fashola (Lawyer) in charge of Power and Works, Chris Ngige (medical Doctor) in charge of Labour, Udo Udoma (Lawyer) in charge of Budget and Planning; ditto Hameed Ali (rtd Colonel) in charge of Customs, etc. So how can these guys and the other thousands I didn’t mention here ever perform? The Legislooters will never amend the section that mandates the Senate to screen nominees, to ensure that portfolios are attached before the President presents the list of appointees. Thank you Olufunke for this wonderful hard hurting truth, let those expecting miracles on frequent supply of electricity brace up and buy more “I better pass my neighbor” generators or have darkness as their portion.
Rommel

This woman needs to be relieved of her position with immediate effect,electricity is not a tree that requires years before maturity,it can be fixed today by people that know what to do, every civilized country has done it and Nigeria is not not even among the ten largest nations on the continent in terms of landmass, so no one should use size to confuse anybody,we claim large population which has not been proven concretely,it is clear that there are at least 50 million Nigerians who exist only on paper, these stories from such people indicate that they have no business occupying the positions we have put them in
- sab
  
  But you defended your other woman in power who told the world that 16+6 =24, isn’t it? When Ibe Kachikwu told Nigerians in January that fuel queues would take about a month to disappear, you called for his head, including Tinubu for just saying the truth. In the end what happened? So Rommel, I just don’t know why some people like you hate hearing the truth, just don’t know!
  - Rommel
    
    What the woman said is gibberish,provision of electricity is not quantum mechanics,it is a technology that is over 100yrs old and people have done so why not Nigeria?
    - Bash
      
      Rommel I think this lady is in order and talking with an insider knowledge and pragmatic approach. It’s not an issue of technology but that of sound practice in project management and delivery. The amount of work required to fix the deficiencies in transmission and destribution is huge that you we can do little to compress the time required to achieve especially if we want to deliver grid power. We can mitigate this ofcourse by using decentrilised power systems in the interim and that is a function of funding and the right commercial conditions and right attitude from public – paying for services enjoyed (no electricity theft and no sabotage)
      - Dejandon
        
        The lady even told them how much is required to invest per year, where will that SIM come from overnight. You see, some people just like to criticize for the sake of it. They do not take time to understand things but rather talk big, like the talking will make a difference. Now we know Rommel knows quantum mechanics, but does that bring in the N250B a year required? As you rightly mentioned, even if the fund is available, projects do not get executed overnight, they still require time to be completed. We are so used to religion that we want miracles even in infrastructures.
    - sab
      
      I think Bash has replied you enough but just let me add that most people hate hearing the simple truth. This is just the simple truth. You and I know how epileptic power supply is in this country and we love to criticize but hate to hear the truth. Yes, like Bash pointed out, we can make do with the little available while plan and work sincerely for tomorrow. This is part of reason why this government is facing harsh criticisms because from the top to the lowest, none of them likes accepting simple truth and criticism.
- shola
  
  I disagree! The electrical wiring is not the problem. The infrastructure is what she is complaining about. How do you want to run a tram/ U-Tube even in Lagos – a metropolitan city without all necessary infrastructures? The current Nigeria administration needs people from the “think-tank” a brainstorming institute to save Nigeria from collapsing and eventual bankruptcy.
  - marc umeh
    
    I am seaching these blogs for the opinion of those who know anything about electrical engineering. Otherwise the rest is simply blind patriotism.
- ed
  
  You’re 100% correct on this issue. Lack of knowledge and poor exposure to technology that are readily available is a major problem with our business and government leaders.
  We’ll unfortunately continue to struggle in the dark needlessly.
shola

HARD TALK! WE NEED MORE YEARS THAN THAT, AND ALL FORMER HEAD OF STATES MUST BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR THEIR NEGLIGENCE AND RUNNING THE COUNTRY BANKRUPT! ALL THESE GORILLAS DELIBERATELY RAN THE COUNTRY BANKRUPT BY SELLING THEIR OWN IMPORTED GENERATORS AND OTHER PRODUCTS NIGERIANS COULD HAVE JOLLY WELL PRODUCED FOR NIGERIANS IN NIGERIA.
Dr Pat Kolawole Awosan

Olufunke Osibodu, and her ilk must not allow to prevent improvement in Nigeria, electricity supply that all efforts and focus are now on improving and developing our electricity generation output.
Any imaginary forces acting on a mission to ensure Nigeria, electricity supply does not improve having being by the electricity-generating plants-importers as displayed openly by Olufunke Osibodu, of Benin electricity distribution company,s utterance must be fought to a stand still by Nigerians.
Huge national capital has been focus on the improvement and development of our electricity generation efforts by president Muhammadu Buhari,s government.Any doubting Thomas, must be put out of circulation as electricity must improve and Nigerian-industries must be revived as lives of Nigerian-people must be lifted up.
- marc umeh
  
  I am trying hard to understand your point but you are not making sense to me.
- emmanuel
  
  This your Miyetti Allah English dey scatter person brain
Paul Young

This woman is creating a lot of commotion with this her comment. Perhaps she has forgotten that Nigerians are the greatest spin doctors. The next thing mushroom blogs and websites will carry the headline “Electricity distribution boss says fashola is a liar and Nigerians should not expect any increase in power generation in the next 5 years”. She needs to clarify her statement. I think she means stable electricity can’t be achieved in the next 5 years which would certainly be true. There’s no doubt that by 2019 we are on target to increase production even if it’s by 1,000mw
Comfortkay

I understand some people that lobby the Electricity board and they are group of generator importers that wants by all means stop Nigerian from having constant electricity and if this present administration will give in to such lobby men and women then we don’t need democracy in Nigeria again. Olufunke Osibodu would need another job , what she has now is not what she can handle.
Nigerian Citizen

The scales are falling of the eyes of even Judas Iscariot generations in quick succession, for a olufunke to dare speak the truth about buharis government and its lies and false promises, shows that Nigeria may not go under completely.
Nigeria made a big error of judgment on march 28 2015, we are now paying heavily for our wrong choices.May God have mercy on our nation and save us from this self imposed disaster and retrogression. We need to start now to search for the saviour because these ones are wolves in sheep clothing. 2019 is Nigeria’s date with history. For now let’s pray that the damage to our nation shall not be beyond repair. Buhari is a debilitating disaster.God have mercy.
- Powerlessconscious
  
  Who gave power sector to private thieves? Gej. If buhari reverse we it now you will start crying.
Oyebanjo Idowu

Nigeria needs Power System Engineers of Nigerian descent who have worked in electricity supply industries worldwide to assist in the bail out of this conundrum. Talk is cheap. When you put those who lack understanding of a subject in charge of it, it takes longer to achieve appreciable results. Nonetheless, it takes many years to build power systems, that, with dedication and continuous investment!
SAM .A

Olufunke Osibodu ,The Boss of electricity distribution is a backward looking leader , she should be kicked out and look for a 25 -30 year old to replace her somebody who will start making her impossibility possible start from January Next year. She should return the money she took from gENERATOR Importers /Sellers and bury her head in shame .
- kumi
  
  So you know about 25 -30 years old person to perform while you vote 75 years old man and expect magic in a nation like Nigeria
  - SAM .A
    
    Go and look for them , they exist all over the world[Nigerians ] , thriving well in their various fields , academically sound, high tech savvy and performers in all fields including politics . Professor Osinbajo said recently that he uses younger Nigerians in his office , because they are more resourceful than those recycled geriatrics. [ Change the upper limit to 40]
Ayo Blessing

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Delivery is been made to all parts of Nigeria.
Keen Observer

I wonder what qualifications in power distribution this Mrs Olufunke Osibodu has; In developing countries like our Nigeria & a Nigeria where corruption/looting, tribalism and non performances are condoled without being challenged, why would a FG (GEJ) sell a strategic Critical National Facility like NEPA into the hands of INEXPERIENCED indigenous private pessimist like Madam Olufunke Osibodu? Are we talking about how to go to Dubai to bargain & buy gold, and on returning to Nigeria sell in the open market & return?
Why was distribution section of NEPA considered for sale in the 1st place? Is it not to achieve better performance than it were? So what technical foreign partners did Madam Funke has that can turn around the distribution section in the shortest possible time? These are the problems INEXPERIENCED Ex President GEJ lands millions of Nigeria because of his cluelessness & inability to recognize what is right to gun for it at the right speed.
When Middle East countries & the West are talking about nuclear power generation, Nigeria is still a century backward struggling with analogue power distribution (overhead electric poles) because of the likes of Babatunde Fashola (Lawyer turned Engineer) cum Olufunke (only God knows here qualifications) who are square pegs in round holes.
The FG needs to wake up & get it right once & for all. Time is running out…!
Gbade Akinyooye

POWER is everything.In times like this, BRJ needs to think outside of the box especially now that factories are closing down for other reasons than just power. Without power more will close. Unfortunately with the current setup,it will take us several years to have stable and uninterrupted power as in other countries.Firstly, the national grid need to be broken down to smaller grids.Power generation and distribution to these grids can be on priority putting industrial parks that contribute to economic growth at the top of the list. Imagine what industrial parks with 24/7 power can contribute to the economy.On shortage, we can do better while waiting for the BRF promise, cost free. Read what Zambia and Ghana did to make up for shortfall in power generation while building new plants. They went for Powership, a marine based power generating vessel that anchored at the port,fed generated power to the grid on contract.They only need to paid for the power generated. At the end of the contract, the vessel sails away. Powership for land locked Zambia’s powership was anchored in Mozambique port 1000s of Km away. That is thinking outside the box. We can do better.