- And sets up Committee to recover arms, stop bombing
The Federal Government will not revoke the privatisation of the power sector, Minister for Power, Works and Housing Babatunde Fashola (SAN) said yesterday.
Fashola said his ministry would remain committed to the terms of power generation and distribution contracts it inherited, noting that government would only listen to people calling for revisit if the aim was to open up opportunities for more investment in Generation Companies (GENCOs) and Distribution Companies (DISCOs).
The minister spoke yesterday at the Fifth European Union (EU)-Nigeria Business Forum at Eko Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos.
The two-day event with the theme: “Harnessing Nigeria’s Potential for Economic Growth”, was attended by local and international power investors and industry players.
He said: “I have discussions about revisiting the privatisation of power. Honestly, I don’t know what it means. I like those who are pushing the argument to come out and have discussion with us.
“If revisiting the agreement means cancelling it, I won’t support. The investors who took the risk must have the assurance that government will not flip-flop.
“A contract that fails has consequences not only for the investors, but on both sides. I don’t believe in revoking contracts. Like politicians meet at nights, investors also meet themselves and talk every day. Once they see the government cancels contract signed with one of them, they will call on others to pack their bags and leave.
“This government will respect and uphold the contracts it has committed to and inherited. If there are issues with the contracts, the umpire is the judiciary.”
Fashola emphasised the need for increasing investment in infrastructure, noting that improved infrastructure is a globally-tested parametre to drive growth.
He said the seven per cent growth rates Nigeria recorded in the last seven years were driven by high oil prices.
He noted that the President Muhammadu Buhari administration’s development plan is focused on increased investment in power, roads, schools, agriculture and housing.
The minister acknowledged the role EU played in the drive to improve Nigeria’s power infrastructure, assuring the investors of government’s commitment to maintain stable investment weather and policy guideline that would benefit parties to power privatisation.
Fashola called on investors to partner the Federal Government in rural electrification project, saying rural communities must be connected to the national grid, if the initiative to drive an all-inclusive growth must be meaningful.
Head of the EU Delegation to Nigeria and Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Ambassador Michael Arrion said the forum was established in five years ago to help Nigeria overcome its challenges.
He said EU bilateral investments in Nigeria had targeted agriculture, power and other key infrastructure.
He added that the EU remained committed to helping to tackle the recession affecting the country by increasing its investments and partnership.
In the meantime, the Federal Government has set up a special committee to recover illegal weapons and curtail the spate of bombings and illegal refineries in the Niger Delta region. The committee, under the office of the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs and is to liaise with the Office of the National Security Adviser, is to work with critical stakeholders in the region as well as security agencies to ensure the success of the programme.
Addressing newsmen in Abuja, yesterday, Coordinator of the programme, Mr Tikari T. Y. Danjuma, said the programme, named Niger Delta Riverine Protection Programme, was part of initiatives of the Federal Government to address several years of neglect of the region and check the spate of violence there..
He said: “To consolidate on the peace process initiated by Mr. President, the Federal Government, through the office of the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, has set up the Niger Delta Riverine Protection Programme. The programme is aimed at driving further the peace process initiated by the Federal Government.
“Part of the mandate of this programme is to recover illegal arms and ammunition in the region; ensure adequate protection of Federal Government assets and curtail the incidence of illegal refineries in the region.”
He said the Niger Delta region was in ‘dire need of development, both in terms of its human capital and physical infrastructure.
According to him, this could be achieved in an atmosphere of lawlessness, violence and anarchy, saying ‘’Since government has expressed its willingness to correct the ills of the past that previous governments had visited on our people and our region, it behooves on us as a people to give all necessary cooperation to make our region great and guarantee a better future for our children.’
He disclosed that in the next few days, his committee would be meeting with ‘critical stakeholders in the region to unveil detailed programmes of activities of the committee. While calling on individuals and groups in the region in possession of illegal arms to cooperate and surrender them, Danjuma said details of how this would be handled would be worked out and made public soon.
The Coordinator said: “We also wish to appeal to those who have resorted to the destruction of pipelines and other national assets in the region to desist from these acts forthwith. ‘Experience has shown that though government may be losing revenue from the actions of those destroying pipelines, our people are the ones that suffer the consequences of such actions as their environment are polluted and their means of livelihood destroyed.
‘’Our people can no longer continue to suffer the double jeopardy of being neglected by government and made to suffer environmental degradation as a result of the activities of those destroying pipelines in the name of agitation. Destruction is antithetical to development.”
Nation with additional report from Vanguard
