Reps blame poor power supply on Okonjo-Iweala

The House of Representatives on Tuesday blamed the
deteriorating power supply in the country on the
Minister of Finance, Mrs. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, for
allegedly failing to release power sector funds.
The House Committee on Power also criticised the
Coordinating Minister of the Economy for the Federal
Government's refusal to provide funds for the running
of power generation and distribution companies in the
2013 budget.
Chairman of the committee, Mr. Patrick Ikhariale, said,
during a meeting with the companies, the Ministry of
Power and the Bureau for Public Enterprises that
government stopped funding the companies on the
excuse that they were being privatised.
He recalled that the House had earlier advised the
government to fund the companies until their new
owners took over full control but that the House was
ignored.
The committee asked the minister to apologise to
Nigerians for the current poor situation of power
supply.
Ikhariale added, "What we have witnessed in the last
few months is a monumental embarrassment.
"Nigerians are suffering of irreparable loss during this
period; lives have been lost. At a point, somebody
needs to tell Nigerians as to what happened, it is not
enough for you to come here and tell us that the
ministry had been given some money to be given to
the companies to cushion the effect.
"The committee's interest in the sector is paramount.
We are witnesses to what is happening in the power
sector; that is the downward trend.
"What we generate today is a far cry from what is
expected.