Were you rejoicing that bill hasn't been
delivered to your residence and probably you are claiming that government
have paid for free electricity supply as a results of the lock down
announced to slow and contain the spread of the Corona virus Pandemic -
this is a mere happenstance that might have been caused due to the
marketers delay in getting a bill across to your residence perhaps
because of the Lock down, I have received my bills and plans to pay,
because the DISCOs are private owned.
When I first heard of the
palliative measure to make possible free Electricity. I wasn't
optimistic because this is what we know we can truly feel and will
support the poor, middle-class and the rich - With no will, plan,
finance or provision to back it up and here it won't be a fable of
conditional cash transfer we keep hearing.
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT THE POWER SECTOR
The
Electricity value chain consist of the Generating companies(GENCOs),
Transmission Companies (TCN) and the distribution companies (DISCOs).
We
all are more concerned about the DISCOs because they are the ones that
distribute power to the households, offices and companies after it must
have been stepped down power to 33kv and 11kv from electricity from TCN.
The government only owns the TCN and partly some GENCOs and have privitized the DISCOs and some GENCOs.
Some
GENCOs need gas to power their stations before Generating to TCN and
transmit to DISCOs, the DISCOs are the bottom of the value chain and
they are the ones that go after the money and pays the NBET who then
pays the return to GENCOs and TCN.
DID GOVERNMENT PAY FOR FREE ELECTRICITY
The
NBET is paid by the DISCOs after customers might have paid for
Electricity, that's when you pay your bills before and after
disconnection or when you recharge your prepaid Meyers and the NBET get
across payment to the GENCOs and TCN.
What government paid was
₦200 billion for the gas that is supplied to GENCOs to wheel power the
country - which has Always been the norm as the money generated by
DISCOs after remittance to NBET is always poor as majority of Nigerians
have huge outstanding debts and some refuse to pay their bills and also
they have issues with cost reflective tariffs. When we stop paying our
bills there's a chance that we may stop getting power supply, because
the private companies (DISCOs) will not be able to continue rendering
service.
VERDICTS: Government can't just make order for free
Electricity - the government must first raise the necessary fund to pay
the Distribution companies because they are private owned and will need
to do capital expenditures to keep distributing power.
So far
it's just propaganda - it will take within 120 - 180 billion Naira paid
to the DISCOs before free supply can be achieved. That wasn't budgeted
for in our 2020 budget and no provision have been made by the House of
representatives on this and we've not heard of any sitting on this.
That's
why when I saw the staff that was beaten I felt bad for him. We should
avoid this. It's the money paid for Electricity to DISCOs that will end
up being paid through NBET to TCN and GENCOs.
If you don't have
money then there's no need beating staffs that have families waiting for
them to come home and we are still the people that will complain when
there's no power supply and we have refused to pay because of a
sensational headline of we shall, we will and we may do.
Government
haven't paid for free Electricity and so far there's no hope of it in
sight. If it happens it will be a miracle - as we've not even taken care
of the poor who are hungry and are still having donors aid our fight on
COVID-19
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