A university don has advised the Federal Government to review or outrightly sack all investors in the power sector just as he opposed the Federal Government plans to privatize the water sector even though the later has not lived up to expectations.
He pointed out that the opinion that the electricity and water sectors of the country need total overall.
He said government needs to reverse privatization on electricity since it has not guaranteed availability of power since the sector was privatized.
He stressed that since 2013 the sector has not added any significant value to the need of the people
The university don called on Trade unions as well as stakeholders to unite and form a formidable force that will enable them fight against privatization of water sector, so it does not draw back the country that will be akin to the present epilepsy Nigeria is facing over the privatization of the power sector.
On his words, “Within a period of time, from 2023 to date, the country has nothing to show going by the number of collapses in national grid has faced till date.”
Mande spoke to selected journalists on the sideline of a program organised by the Public Service International(PSI) with the theme, “Promoting Transparency and Decent Work in Supply Chains in Electricity in Sub- Saharan Africa” held in Kano Thursday.
“We are here today to demonstrate on what’s are the impact felt from those certain sector, the service providing sectors of our own government, the water, electricity and waste sectors.”
“What are the development of those sectors having taken over by certain organizations in terms of privatization. Have we seen the changes? Is it recording improvement or challenges in respect of those sectors which are basic sectors of the entire country.
“These are our common heritage, that Nigerians expected to have benefits from, adding that before 2023, there were series of privatisation of those three sectors, in term of electricity, water and waste service sectors”
He stated that government has taken a lot of steps to see that they are privatized and from the research available,there are lots of challenges between the government and the trade unions’
The don said there are a lots of complaints from the trade unions that they are not carried along in decision makings when government intends to privatize those sectors,at least to listen to their views.
Nigerians are worried for government to have given our own common inheritance to certain group of people and the Nigerians are not getting supply of power, opining that these are challenges people are really worry about.
“From 2023 till date, there have been about five collapse of the national grid after the privatization, while in 2024, it was also discovered that there was three national grid collapse and in 2025 it was equally discovered that up to six national grid collapses have been recorded.
‘While in term of metering, people are complaining. They have not gotten meters, as according to them, it is from meter you will be able to know what you are consuming or what you are paying for” he enthused.
Mande however noted that, “The
government have the capacity, the resources, to run these three services sectors, noting that if government should take ownership and own up to these sector, there will be proper control and maintenance as well as efficiency”.
Also speaking, Comrade Ayuba Barde,the zonal organising secretary , North West who represented the Chairman, National Union of Electricity Employees disclosed that, “There are a lot of negative impact on the country and the citizens as far as electricity privatization is concerned from inception.
He explained that before the electricity privatization, the union called on the attention of Nigerians that this policy government is bringing on board is not good for Nigerians”
It is saddening and pathetic as.they , the people called us different names castigating us that we have our ulterior motives for going against privatization of electricity, but the reality was that we were looking at the aftermaths, the long term effect this policy will have on Nigerians.”
However, “Today, Nigerians can tell the story themselves, what they have derived from electricity privatization, the light or the supply is no longer available as expected.
People were paying through their nose, these investors that came on board, were only interested on what they will take home, as they were not keen in re- investing into the system”, he concluded.