The Association for Public Policy Analysis (APPA), Nigeria, a powerful trade union body with left leanings has urged the Federal Government to make public, the details of revenue generated from the electricity supply by the distribution companies (DISCOs) for the last five years since the power assets were unbundled.
The APPA, which is against the Federal Government’s plan to contract over US$3 billion World Bank loan for the power sector, wanted to have full details about money borrowed from the World Bank earlier and how it was appropriated. There were complaints about widespread corruption while appropriating the earlier loan and some distribution companies were more favored than others. Some analysts say that unbundling did not increase the efficiency of the power sector and the World Bank lon aearlier contracted was not spent for the purpose it was meant.
The National President, APPA, Comrade Princewill Okorie, warned the Federal Government against the reckless privatization and adding more debt burden on the country because of the large resources needed to service the loans. The large amount of loan taken to encourage the power sector has not given the desired results and the government should take a review of the policy as such. Only such private players who can manage things on their own should be allowed to operate and should not continue operating to corner the government funds by hook or crook.
