Minister of Power, Dr. Lanre Babalola has charged the Bureau of
Public Enterprises (BPE) to collaborate with the relevant stakeholders to
ensure an early completion of the exercise as power is vital to the development
of the nation.
Speaking when he visited the Director-General of the Bureau of
Public Enterprises (BPE), Dr. Christopher Anyanwu, to strategize on the way forward for electric power reform, the minister noted that reform in the
sector is critical as it is not “just about privatization but a means to an
end”.
Making some observations on the action plan by the Bureau for the
reform process, Babalola advised BPE to reconsider the Rehabilitate, Operate
and Transfer (ROT) strategy of the transaction in favor of an outright sale as investors had shown more
interest in buying it to further develop and operate as an Independent Power Plant
(IPP). “ROT is at odds with approved strategy for generation companies”, he
stated.
In his remarks, the Director-General of BPE, Dr. Christopher Anyanwu
said that to ensure the success of the electric power reform, the Bureau has
lined up a series of activities to engage and sensitize all stakeholders in the
sector.
He assured the Minister that the Bureau would carefully study the
observations/comments raised and come out with an acceptable action plan for
the reform program.
Meanwhile in another development Dr. Christopher Anyanwu, has called
for collaborative effort by all the relevant stakeholders to revive the power
and automobile sectors in the country.
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Speaking when a delegation of the automobile industry led by the
Director-General of National Automotive Council (NAC), Aminu Jalal, paid him a
courtesy visit, Anyanwu regretted that the two sectors which are keys to
national development were performing abysmally.
He said BPE was poised to galvanize attention in the two sectors and
that as a first step, “we are collaborating with the relevant stakeholders to
immediately hold a workshop to chart a new way forward for the two sectors”.
Anyanwu noted that there
is a systematic failure in all sectors of the economy but
that BPE is determined more than ever
before, to ensure a change “ which is why
we shall continue to liaise with
the National Assembly to legislate on these issues and pass the relevant laws”.
According to him, the automobile industry particularly holds high
potentials for the country and everything possible must be done to ensure that
it does not die.
In his contribution, the Executive Director of Nigerian Automotive
Manufacturers Association, Arthur Madueke, called for the full implementation
of the 1974 law, mandating all tiers of government and their agencies to
patronize locally assembled vehicles in Nigeria.
He also requested for an increment in the tariffs paid by importers of vehicles, saying the present five percent regime was meagre and cannot keep manufacturers in business.
