Fashola Fires Back, Accuse DisCos, ANED Of Economic Sabotage

Fashola

***Demands Response To Query For Abandoning 408 Electricity Feeders

By CLEMENT NWOJI, Abuja

The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, has asked power Distribution Companies (DisCos) to respond to the query he issued to them for abandoning 408 feeders, which have a capacity to deliver 5,756MW of power to consumers but only carry 444MW because of faulty lines, bad equipment and load shedding.

Fashola further branded the Association of Nigeria Electricity Distributors as illegal entity indulging in acts of sabotage in power sector.

The Minister was writing on ” My directives on improved service delivery in the power sector went to legal entities, not to an interloper”, in response to twisting of his earlier directives to Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), Nigeria Bulk Electricity Trading (NBET) and Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) by the Director (Research and Advocacy) of the Association of Nigeria Electricity Distributors (ANED), Sunday Oduntan.

He maintained that ANED is not a licensee in the power sector but may be Non Governmental Organization just as he disclosed that Sunday Oduntan had been worked out of the Power sector stakeholders monthly meeting since he was neither an investor nor invited to the meeting.

Fashola specifically noted the statement credited to Mr. Oduntan which had suggested that no directive from the Minister would save the power sector from collapse.

However, the Minister said: “If Mr. Oduntan represents the DisCos who, for reasons best known to them, choose not to act to save their investments, that is a matter of choice for them.

“I do not recognize him because the law that guides my functions does not recognize him. If DisCos can prove that FGN owes more than what we admit, they should deduct (N72 billion) from N800 billion and pay the remaining N728 billion which they owe NBET.

“DisCos should respond to the query from the Ministry of Power, Works and Housing as to why 408 feeders, which have a capacity to deliver 5,756MW of power to consumers only carry 444MW because of faulty lines, bad equipment and load shedding?”

Further, Fashola said: “If the DisCos connect with their consumers, they will hear from them first-hand, how traumatized they feel about load shedding, absence of meters and estimated billing.

“The GenCos, who are short paid because the DisCos under-remit in spite of high estimated billing to consumers, will tell DisCos how they feel. My directives seek to rectify these problems because I believe they can be rectified.”

“If Oduntan truly speaks for the DisCos, which I doubt, he should ignore the messenger (Fashola) and advise those for whom he acts as surrogate, to focus on the message.

“It is revealing of the mindset of a saboteur not a builder, and he would do very well to acquaint himself and advise his co-travellers about the consequences of sabotaging the economy under our Laws.”