Peter Obi, the Presidential Candidate of Labour Party in 2023 elections, has expressed deep frustrations in light of the continued power outages in many parts of the country, particularly in the northern, Eastern and south-South Nigeria.
In a series of tweets on his X handle on Sunday, Obi highlighted that the prolonged blackouts, particularly severe in Northern states, have dealt a crippling blow to countless businesses, many of which depend heavily on a reliable public power supply.
Edum news reports that the ongoing blackout, which has lasted over four days, initially stemmed from vandalism of the Shiroro-Mando transmission line, which provided bulk electricity to the northern states.
The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has said the situation will persist due to security challenges hindering repairs on critical transmission lines.
To mitigate the impact, the TCN said it diverted electricity through the Ugwuaji-Apir 330-kilovolt (kV) double-circuit transmission line.
Speaking on the development, Obi said“This power crisis, when combined with the present high cost of petroleum products and a harsh operating environment, remains a lethal recipe for widespread business failure and increasing poverty in the country.
“I have consistently maintained that solving Nigeria’s power and energy crisis is not rocket science. Many of our comparable peer nations have demonstrated how possible it is to provide sustainable power for their citizens.
“Our African neighbour, Egypt, for example, invested aggressively in their power sector, which resulted in the establishment of a sustainable power infrastructure by way of many power stations.
“Today, Egypt has revolutionized power and energy production in the country, providing sustainable power to millions of small businesses, which account for over 90% of active enterprises in the country and contributes to over 80 percent of their GDP,” he said.
Obi urged the government to ramp up efforts and provide both immediate and long-term solutions to this seemingly perennial challenge.
Written by Jennifer Amarachi
