The 2023 Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has lamented the lingering power outage in many parts of northern Nigeria caused by the vandalization of some infrastructure.
Obi, in a personally signed statement on Sunday, said the fact that many cities have been thrown into a blackout for several days is heartbreaking.
He lamented the negative impact of the situation on businesses in the region, noting that solving Nigeria’s power problem is not rocket science.
The former Anambra State Governor appealed to the government to ensure a lasting solution to the issue of perennial power outages in the country.
“The continued power outages in many parts of the country, particularly in the Northern and Eastern States, as well as South-South states, have remained a cause of grievous concern.
“It is heartbreaking to see that the affected states, majorly in the Northern parts of Nigeria, have been facing a total blackout for several days now.
The negative impact of the continued power outage on businesses, especially small businesses, who depend primarily on public power supply to sustain their businesses as a means of livelihood, is unimaginable.
“This power crisis, when combined with the present high cost of petroleum products and a harsh operating environment, remains a lethal recipe for widespread business failure and increasing poverty in the country.
“I have consistently maintained that solving Nigeria’s power and energy crisis is not rocket science.
“Many of our comparable peer nations have demonstrated how possible it is to provide sustainable power for their citizens.
“Our African neighbour, Egypt, for example, invested aggressively in their power sector, which resulted in the establishment of a sustainable power infrastructure by way of many power stations. Today, Egypt has revolutionized power and energy production in the country, providing sustainable power to millions of small businesses, which account for over 90% of active enterprises in the country and contributes to over 80 percent of their GDP.
“My sincere thoughts are with everyone enduring these tough times in our nation.
“I call on the government to ramp up efforts and provide both immediate and long-term solutions to this seemingly perennial challenge.
“With adequate power supply, a New Nigeria is POssible. -PO” the statement read.
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