S. OlawalePossible causes and solutions to the problems of electricity in Nigeria. The economy of any country thrives directly or indirectly on the availability of electricity in the country. Nigeria has been battling with the problem of power generation, that would meet the growing demand both on the small and large scale. This has prompted many to resort to the use of alternative sources of power supply such as generators, solar panels, and so on. The vast majority, however, continue to wallow in darkness and are at the mercy of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria, PHCN. The inadequate supply of electricity is due to the following factors.
PROBLEMS OF ELECTRICITY IN NIGERIA | TOP 10 CAUSES AND SOLUTIONS
1. OBSOLETE COMPONENTS
From the generating companies to the distribution companies, the components used to supply electricity are old and outdated, hence they perform poorly and do not supply the expected amount of electricity.
2. CORRUPTION
The presence of corruption within the system contributes to a stall in development. Electricity workers who collect money for illegal connections and electricity theft do so to the detriment of other consumers who choose to do things the right way.
p3. BAD POLICIES
The policies made by the government relating to the power sector is not supportive enough or flexible enough.
4. LOW ELECTRICITY TARIFFS
Nigerians pay very low electricity tariffs. This does not encourage individuals to further invest in the power sector as the returns are quite low.
5. ELECTRICITY THEFT
People who connect their houses or businesses to power lines without the knowledge of the concerned power companies consume what other people have paid for and further reduce the supply of electricity to the appropriate areas.
6. VANDALIZATION
Vandalism of components such as, underground cables and the likes usually result to fault in the power supply thus leading to blackouts. The power companies take time to rectify such fault and places may be in the dark for weeks.
7. UNEMPLOYMENT
Unemployed youths are basically idle and resort to things like vandalism or electricity theft.
8. INSECURITY
There is not enough security to ensure that vandalism or electricity theft is prevented.
9. POVERTY
The rising levels of poverty push people to making illegal connection as they cannot afford to pay electricity bills
10. POOR TECHNICAL KNOW-HOW
The manpower available at the generation, transmission, and distribution stations are not kept abreast of recent trends in power engineering hence they have little or no knowledge on how to deal with new or unfamiliar situations on the field. They resort to old techniques in solving power issues.
To ensure that the problem of electricity becomes a thing of the past, the following should be considered;
1. INCREASED ELECTRICITY TARIFFS
Tariffs should be increased to a level that is affordable for the majority and still good enough to attract large-scale investments in the power sector. Though it’s important to note that, increase in tariff should only come up after there is an improvement in electricity supply and not before which is what we face presently (Increase in tariff without an increase in service).
2. ADEQUATE SECURITY
There should be adequate security so as to ensure that power lines and the likes are not tampered with.
3. BETTER POLICIES
Policies made by the government should be mite flexible, giving provision for proper punishment for those who engage in corruption and or electricity theft, directly or indirectly. The whistleblower movement is a step in the right direction
4. INSTALLATION OF NEW COMPONENTS
New and up-to-date components should be installed to ensure greater performance and thus, increased supply.
5. JOB CREATION.
Entrepreneurship should be encouraged among unemployed youths and initiatives created to help them towards a good start.
With an increased electricity supply, development and progress follow suit as the availability of electricity affect most, if not all other sectors.
That’s all from NaijaQuest on the Problems of Electricity in Nigeria Top 10 causes and solutions
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Tags: Electricity in Nigeria, Power generation in Nigeria