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Experts brainstorm sector challenges
- N-PoD hosts monthly Policy Dialogue
- Experts agree on the need for urgent reforms
Experts from the public and private sectors converged in Abuja to discuss the challenges of the Nigerian power sector and proffer solutions to these challenges. In a conference organised by the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Policy Development/Analysis, experts brainstormed in various moderated sessions.
The 7th N-PoD Monthly Policy Dialogue with the theme ‘The power sector’s unending challenges and new perspectives’ saw the attendance of power sector stakeholders, including the Minister of Power, Ransome Owan, Managing Director, Aiteo Power and Gas Group; Muazu Magaji, Chairman, NNPC AKK Pipeline Project Delivery and Industrialisation Committee; Justice Derefaka, Dauda Abdul-aziz of the North-South Power Company Ltd and others.
In a virtual address by the Minister of Power (represented by an aide), the Minister stated that ”Beyond this ‘misalignment’ of energy capacity, we have the challenge of paltry remittance from the downstream participants, that is the distribution companies as well as the problem of low uptake of stranded capacity in the whole power system of unserved grid buyers”.
Other sector stakeholders lamented the current underperformance of the Distribution Companies (DisCos) and proffered solutions. Muazu Magaji stated that the sector needed to refocus to solve the challenges. He, however, added that vested interests might prevent the optimal performance of the market. ”There are of course vested interests as in every sector, but we must have the courage to do the right thing for our people”, Magaji noted.