The Presidential candidate of Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 elections, Peter Obi, on Sunday said the continued power blackout in parts of the country particularly in Northern and Eastern States as well as the Niger Delta region is cause for “grievous concern.”
Obi, who spoke in series on tweets on his X handle, said it is heartbreaking to see that the affected States, majorly in the North, have been facing a total blackout. Generally, the ongoing blackout has lasted over four days and initially began with the 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.
However, a tripping incident on this alternative line further worsened the situation.
Speaking on the development, Obi said the negative impact of the continued power outage on businesses is unimaginable.
“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.
He urged the government to ramp up efforts and provide both immediate and long-term solutions to this seemingly perennial challenge.