‘We encourage FG to continue with privatisation of power sector’ – Senate

The Chairman Senate Committee on Power, Sen. Gabriel Suswan has disclosed that the senate has no plans to reverse the privatisation of the power sector.

Suswan maintained that the senate is not pushing for the reversal of privatisation of the sector as that will distal the economy and create issues of trust in the international community.

He disclosed this in Abuja, the nation’s capital during the committee’s oversight visit to some government structures being occupied by the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC).

According to the lawmaker, “We encourage the government to continue with the privatisation as far as the power sector is concerned.

“There are teething problems and those problems will not be reason for the review of the privatisation that was done and people have bought.

“All we can do is to try to make sure there is enhanced performance in the sector to create efficiency but unfortunately, the process itself started on a faulty note.

“Some of the parameters used were a bit faulty so the sector has been faced with problems that ordinarily would have been avoidable.

“So what we are trying to do in the National Assembly (NASS) is to identify the core challenges so that we can help the executive in addressing them”.

Speaking further, Suswan stressed that the duty of NASS was to oversight the activities of the other arms of government.

“This is why we are here today, to see what we have been told by the Nigeria Electricity Liability Management Company (NELMCO),” he said.

He said NELMCO told the committee that they handed over some assets to AEDC when the company was incorporated and the committee needed to be sure it was true.

“ So here is the assets of government and it is being occupied by AEDC which is a private company and we are wondering why they are occupying government property,

“The managing director has told us they are supposed to be paying rent but because the property has been advertised for sale, they also have the right of first refusal.

“We are satisfied that the building is here and AEDC has accepted that the building belongs to government, and that they are tenants here until when they are able to procure it if they win the bid,” he added.