Dogara declares war on ‘darkness’, says ‘$5bn spent on generators annually unacceptable’

“It is difficult, if not impossible, to imagine modern life without power. Our industries and factories need electricity to operate, and also our offices, homes and businesses. It is estimated that Nigerians spend about $5 billion yearly to fuel their generators.
“This is an unacceptable situation and the House of Representatives stands ready to support the Executive arm of government to put a stop to this state of affairs. Renewable energy is a source of clean energy which is environment-friendly and is crucial to the economy of the future.
“We can only be self-sufficient in the energy field when we combine all our energy resources such as wind, solar, hydro, bio-mass, bio-fuel, landfill, sewage gas, solid waste, geo-thermal energy, ocean energy among others”.
With the above words, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr Yakubu Dogara, on Tuesday, declared war on power outage.
To the number four citizen, it is unacceptable for Nigerians to spend about $5 billion to fuel their generating sets annually.
Speaking in Abuja at a public hearing organised by the House of Representatives Committee on Power, Dogara said the Lower Chamber would support the Executive to find a permanent solution to the perenniel power problem in the country.
Rep. Daniel Effiong is the chairman of the committee.
The hearing was organised to discuss three Bills pending before the House.
Dogara stated this on Tuesday in Abuja at the public hearing organized by the House of Representatives Committee on Power on three Bills pending before the lower chamber.
He also assured that an appropriate legal framework that would facilitate the exploitation of renewable energy to the benefit of the economy would be provided.
Dogara said: “Renewable energy sources are natural and often replenish themselves. Nigeria needs to invest more in renewable energy as fossil fuel is a diminishing asset.
“An appropriate legal framework to exploit renewable energy which is nature’s gift to mankind is not adequate in Nigeria. This makes it difficult to organise the sector in a commercially viable matter. Herein lies the merit and strength of this Bill under consideration”.
Effiong advised stakeholders in the power sector to make inputs that will enable the House come out with enduring laws to grow the industry.