By joshua 
Ayo Ola
The Future Group (TFG) has called for a halt in the proposed sales of five of the Nigerian National Integrated Power Project (NIPP), noting that it is a bad move that would further plunge the power sector into adeeper crisis, injurious to the economy and the Nigerian populace.
This is even as the public-spirited group has also called on the federal government to relieve the Director General of the Bureau for Public Enterprise (BPE), Alex Okoh, of his job for allegedly conniving with others to dupe Nigerians of their commonwealth while calling for his immediate prosecution on account of pending case of contempt of court over the sales of Aluminum Smelting Company of Nigeria (ASCON) Ikot Abasi.
In a widely circulated petition titled; Stop Okoh … Save Nigeria, to the National Assembly, EFCC, ICPC, the Presidency, the Judiciary, Civil Society Organisations and others, signed by its Chairman, Patrick Philip, the group drew the attention of the federal government and the general public to the dangers of the sales and allowing Okoh to continue to oversee BPE, which is put in charge of the proposed sales, as he is a person of interest in the entire saga.
The group noted that the NIPPs was established in 2004, stating that; “the programme was an intervention that aimed to improve government funding in the critically ailing electricity sector. However, 18 years past the project launch, there are contending conversations
surrounding the federal government’s proposed sale of five NIPPs.
‘‘Insufficient electricity supply has always been an issue in Nigeria, inhibiting the development of the country’s industries and overall economic growth. In 2004, President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration launched the NIPP to address the challenge of power generation specifically. The project’s objectives also included curtailing the immoderate gas flaring from oil exploration,’’ it said.
While noting the objection of the House of Representatives to the sale of the five power plants located in Geregu, Omotosho, Olorunshogo,
Calabar and Benin-Ihovbor, through BPE, which has as of 2022 gulped about $7.875 billion, it, however, lamented that; ‘‘the federal government’s decision to sell 25 key national assets, particularly the five National Integrated Power Plants (NIPP) has been one bitter pill
very difficult for Nigerians to swallow.
It said, “While the country is still grappling with epileptic power supply despite several billions so far sank into the power sector, it is totally distasteful for a government to contemplate selling such critical infrastructure now.’’
‘‘The consequences of such sales on the country and Nigerians far outweigh its benefits.’
Almost eight years (2014) after the privatisation of the power sector, there has not been any visible improvement in terms of power supply, expansion or investments by the new owners of DisCos and GenCos.
‘‘A dime has never been declared as profit for the government’s 40 per cent asset ownership in the privatised companies till date. It has been a pitiable tale of ‘private gains, public losses.
‘‘Yet the federal government rather than make these companies work effectively by demanding probity and accountability, is lamentably determined to discard another set of critical economic assets, with a
flimsy and brazen reason to fund the 2023 budget”, it said
TFG further lamented that; the ‘‘truth is, the privatisation
arrangement of 2014, from the beginning, was designed to fail Nigerians but profit a few powerful interests in the country including politicians. The same way will go the NIPPs if we allow the federal government to sell them.
‘‘Perhaps, if we continue to sell national assets to fund budgets, soon, we would be lefts with no assets because we would have sold everything over time,” the group said
The group also noted the desire by BPE to dispose of these assets, is not driven by economic gains to the country but is to satisfy the wish of deep-seated interest. This is even as it faulted the pre-qualifying
process for selected bidders for the assets, stating that the process was tinted.
While noting the objections to this sale by other well-meaning Nigerians and groups such as the electricity consumers and workers in the power sector, it, however, advised that if at all the federal government insist on their sales, this is not the right time to do so rather it should be put on hold until after the 2023 general elections and all objections raised by Nigerians are satisfactorily addressed.
‘‘It is on this note that we as a matter of national interest call on the National Assembly, ICPC, and EFCC to please probe the questions above with a view to finding pertinent answers for Nigerians.
“We want to particularly implore the National Assembly to suspend the sale of the five NIPPs and other assets till the third quarter of 2023 to avoid the pitfall of diverting proceeds from sales to election funding instead of re-investing into the power sector.
‘‘We also want to particularly implore the EFCC to properly
investigate and scrutinise the activities of the BPE and its DG, Alex Okoh, as we suspect foul play,” it said.