Industrialists in Aba, Abia State, have risen in stout defence of Aba Power Ltd which was disconnected from the national grid last Friday by the Federal Government-owned Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) over an N896m debt owed as fees to government agencies in the power sector.
The disconnection has paralysed socio-economic life in Abia State, adversely affecting the security apparatuses that depend on constant electricity for effective operations, as well as hospitals, medical laboratories, factories, and government establishments.
But rising on Tuesday, April 25th from an emergency meeting of its executive committee held in a prominent hotel in the city, the Association of Indigenous Manufacturers in Aba (AIMA) remarked that "Aba Power has been behaving most responsibly, as it has since last September raised power supply to the Aba Ringfence from 25Megawatts to 80MW in February, paid N500m to the Niger Delta Power Holding Company last month, N50m to the Market Operator the same month, constructed 1,500 kilometres of overhead wires, built four new brand substations, refurbished three old ones inherited from the defunct Power Holding Company of Nigeria, built world-class tunular poles, and brought back two of its three General Electric turbines for power generation from Texas in the United States where they have gone for scheduled retrofitting".
Speaking through its chairman, Dr Gregory Nwankwo, the indigenous manufacturers praised Geometric Power, the Aba Power parent company, for building the 188-Megawatt power plant in Osisiona Industrial Layout to supply electricity to Aba power which will be commissioned within two months.
Declared Dr Nwankwo: "It is difficult to process why Aba Power, Nigeria’s 12th and newest electricity distribution firm which began operations only last year, was selected for this treatment whereas the older ones that commenced operations in 2013 and owe much higher amounts, despite huge Federal Government subsidies, are still receiving supplies”.
“The TCN operates the sole transmission network in the country and should show a greater sense of responsibility in discharging its duties, all the more so given the fact that it is a Federal Government enterprise and the fact that electricity is vital for our very existence in the modern age”.
The manufacturers described as premeditated and discriminatory the action against Aba Power which has been providing electricity to the Aba Ring-fenced Area comprising nine out of the 17 local government areas in Abia State, since February, 2022, though it took over effective management only six months later when it was allowed to collect money from customers who pay monthly electricity bills.
“The TCN wrote a letter to Aba Power on April 19, 2023”, recalled Nwankwo, “giving it 30 business days to settle its debt, but instructed the Market Operator, Dr A E Ajeh, to switch it off within a few hours.
“Both the TCN and the Market Operator owe the nation an explanation as to why a new firm which has not received a kobo subsidy from the government, unlike the other 11 distribution companies which have been receiving billions of naira subsidy, should be subjected to this treatment which has thrown a major section of Nigeria reputed for high industrial production into indefinite darkness”.
The association implored its members and other customers of the utility owing Aba Power to pay up.
It, in addition, urged those who can afford to pay in advance “since we can always be refunded or be given energy credit like customers who pay for prepaid meters.
“The people and government of Abia State have a duty to make Aba Power succeed despite many man-made odds”.
Meanwhile, Nigeria’s foremost pro-democracy group, the Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO), has criticised the ongoing power outage in Abia State due to the disconnection of Aba Power from the national grid by the Transmission Company of Nigeria, calling it a siege against national security.
Aba Power, which provides electricity to nine out of the 17 local government areas of Abia State, was cut off from the sole transmission network in the country on Friday due to an N896,210,059.58 debt owed by Nigeria’s newest electricity distribution company.
“All the other 11 DisCos established since 2013 are owing far greater amounts, yet none has been subjected to this treatment because the Federal Government understands the far-reaching implications of putting any part of the country in complete darkness even for a day”, the Southeast zone of the CLO said in a statement this morning signed by its leader, Comrade Aloy Attah.
“Far from allowing any part of Nigeria to be plunged into darkness, the government has been subsidising the DisCos with a fortune, despite being private entities”.
The FG subsidised the distribution companies with N120bn in 2022 alone.
It is scandalous, argued the pro-human rights group, that the Market Operator, an arm of the Transmission Company of Nigeria owned by the FG, “didn’t mind putting a whole state in darkness, including the Nigerian Army, the Nigerian Navy, the Nigeria Police Force, the Department Security Service, the Civil Defence and National Security Organisation in Abia State which rely on constant electricity supply to discharge their onerous duties to the Nigerian people in a state with grave security challenges”.
The CLO pointed out a fundamental contradiction in the steps taken by the TCN over the payment of statutory fees to Federal government agencies by Aba Power.
While the TCN in a letter with reference number TCN-MO-003-APL-049-VOL2-202 dated April 30, 2023, asked Aba power to clear its debt within one month, the company wrote a letter with reference number TCN-MO-003-EDTSP-C37—VOL7-2023 on the same day to the Market Operator directing it to yank off Aba Power from the transmission network within 24 hours
Observed the CLO: “It is not fortuitous but rather a well-calculated, deliberate action that the disconnection started not just on a Friday but also on a public holiday which saw Nigerians out of their usual businesses till the following Monday.
“The TCN and the Market Operator did not allow Muslims to celebrate the annual Eid el Fitri feast, after one month of fasting, body mortification and intense spiritual exercises”.
The CSO expressed satisfaction that Aba Power has been making good efforts to discharge its financial obligations to both suppliers and government agencies as well as customers.
“Even though it, in legal terms, took over the ownership of the Aba Ringfence in February, last year, it did not take over full management until last September when it began to collect revenue from customers.
“For six months it provided electricity without receiving a naira and still paid staff salaries during this period.
“We are also satisfied that it paid last month N500m to the Niger Delta Power Holding Company and N50m to the TCN.
“What is more, we are satisfied that it raised power supply in the Aba Power Ring-fenced Area from 25 megawatts in September to 80MW last February, though there has been a decrease since March owing to the Niger Delta Power Holding Company’s decision not to provide credit anymore in response to the unwillingness of many individuals and organisations in the area not to pay as and when due for power supply”.
The CLO noted that unlike Aba Power’s performance record, many DisCos do not meet up to 15% of their obligations to government bodies and electricity suppliers.
The CLO ended by calling on President Muhammadu Buhari to direct the Ministry of Power to restore electricity to Abia people and also probe the Market Operator and the TCN for the abrupt electricity disconnection to Abia people.
credit: NigeriaNewsleader.com.
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