Economies all over the world are better driven for high productive performances by the daily activities that are adequately supported with uninterrupted power supply and electricity consumption for both commercial purposes and private uses. Sustainable power supplies that are not in any way connected to energy scarcity or with frequent power outages save a lot of costs for economies that are properly regulated with equitable billing. This is when consumers are protected and receive the commensurate services for which they are charged for, as expected in a social contract framework. Inefficiencies that occur in form of incessant power failures and darkness, observed frequently in the country, happen as a result of the unbecoming attitudes of elements with corrupt mindsets along the supply value chain of energy generation and power distribution. This affects the sector in terms of whose energy business management looks better in terms of efficiency, when a comparison is done between the private investor and the state-owned investment (public service investment). The obvious and overwhelming successes recorded when it is in private hands than in the public sector, is attributable to the financial prudence of private investors that have to conserve and retain their invested capitals, and keep the businesses as going concerns (void of force majeure or incidences of unforeseeable circumstances of nature). This however, does not obtain (in most cases) in the publicly owned corporations that may be wrongly managed by certain individuals, unpatriotic employees and unscrupulous elements that only focus on their personal gains. This, of course, is unfortunately occurring no matter the level of their knowledge and the quality of brains involved in such official engagements in state-owned establishments).
With the already devolved energy generation regulations in Nigeria (from federal level to states, with rights to establish independent power projects, IPPs); distribution of power and electricity billing with regulated tariffs are expected to bring improvement to the sector. This particular regulatory development – transiting from the hands of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) to the various state regulatory bodies, especially in the manner states strategize to open up opportunities for local investors willing to key in and generate power from all forms of sources, including energy efficient renewable, and distribute to consumers (industrial operators or manufacturing companies, and homes or domestic uses) – is meant for progress in the energy sector of the economy.Â
A SWOT analysis of the energy sector – that is the strength, weakness, opportunities and threats associated with the regulatory management in the power supply value chain – will show that is better and more efficiently managed when it is broken down to a lower, more segregated level with the states handling all the challenges associated with energy generation, power distribution and the eventual electricity consumption issues that bother on tariffs, billing and payments by the electricity consumers. Â
In the South Eastern part of the country, very recently, Lady Ada Chukwudozie, the chairman of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) Anambra/Enugu/Ebonyi states zone, in partnership with the Real Estate Developers Association of Nigeria (REDAN) Anambra chapter, amongst many other notable organised bodies like the Chamber movement, alongside well meaning stakeholders in the society, successfully put together an event on power where experts and concerned stakeholders gathered from all parts of the geopolitical zone, under the watch of the Anambra State government at Awka, with Governor Chukwuma Soludo represented by Chiamaka Nnake, secretary to the state government. A lot was achieved because the keynote speaker, Sam Amadi, former chairman of the Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), dissected most of the deep concerns that bother on electricity distribution and all the challenges being encountered by the consumers. During conversation, Amadi provided clarity, shared experience that drove industry insights, especially as it concerns power distribution and the epileptic electricity supplies to manufacturers in the South East. The resource persons made expositions on the ways electricity services are being improved (between the operators/energy providers and the electricity consumers), that were encouraging to the audience.
In all, energy security, self sufficiency in domestic electricity consumption, sustainable energy accessibility for uninterruptible provision of power along the electricity supply value chain to all consumers, for the protection of household users, and most importantly, industrial competitiveness through tariff costing, billing and affordability, comprehensively demands collaboration of all stakeholders in the states, to actively explore solutions — technological, financial and infrastructural — to address every aspect of the electricity supply challenge in the economy.Â
Every hope at this point has to be focused on the regulatory organ that shall prevent grid outages, for equitable distribution of uninterruptible electricity supplies and matching reliable revenue inflows from trusted consumers, in the established contract power loop.     Â
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Sunny Nwachukwu (Loyal Sigmite), PhD, Fellow (ICCON, CSN, SM), a pure and applied chemist with an MBA in management, is an Onitsha based industrialist, and former vice president (finance), Onitsha Chamber of Commerce. He can be reached on +234 803 318 2105 (text only) or schubltd@yahoo.com
When women own the room — and the system