Reps link poverty to failure of power sector

The House of Representatives hasharped on the need for the country to deregulate its power sector, attributing the increasing level of poverty and de-industrialisation to the failure of the sector.Honourable Patrick Ikhariale, chairman, House Committee on Power, made this submission in Port Harcourt during an oversight function visit to the Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company.Addressing the management of the company, Ikhariale observed that the next step for Nigeria towards achieving power sufficiency and economic growth was deregulation of the sector, emphasising that the process must be done conscientiously and to standards.The legislator, who was accompanied by other members of the committee, allayed the fear of employees of thePower Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN), saying deregulation would provide more opportunities for them.He lamented the situation whereby the country, with its large population and potential, was talking of mere 5,000 megawatts of power, noting that this was as good as having no power at all, when compared with the demands of the population.'The direct result of this on our socio-economic system is abject poverty in the sense that because of lack of power, the experience we are having now is such that we are degenerating from what you could describe as near average in the 70s or mid 80s to next to nothing.'If you go to Lagos, Kano or even here in Port Harcourt, most of those cottage industries that we used to have that gainfully engaged our young men and women who are willing to work then, have since closed down and if you go into the historical background as to why and how they have declined, rather than progress, 80 per cent of the reasons would be electricity related.'We cannot continue like this as a country and that is why I am one of those who believe very strongly that there is a lot to gain in the doctrine of privatisation or deregulation,' Ikhariale said.
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