WED, APRIL 17 2019-theG&BJournal- Monthly analysis of the state of power supply between January and March 2019 revealed that only 30 percent of Nigerians experienced an improvement in power supply to their households in the month of March, 2019.
This figure represents the lowest power supply improvement in Q1 2019 when compared to February (35-Percent) and January (46-Percent), according to survey findings by NOIPolls.
The NOIPolls noted that the decline in power supply to households can be attributed to the combined challenges of gas shortage to the generating companies and low water levels at the hydro power stations. The downward trend in power supply was seen in all three months in Q1, as power supply dropped consistently from 46 percent in January to 35 percent in February and further dropped to 30 percent in March, 2019; which recorded the lowest figure in Q1 2019.
A cumulative power supply of 9.6 hours per day is a far cry from the standard 24 hours’ power supply which households in Nigeria are expected to be experiencing in an ideal situation. This shortfall of hours in power supply across the country further depict the perennial challenges experienced in the power sector which has a direct effect on the economy of the country. It is on record that the Federal Government has embarked on attempts in the past to fix the power sector but it has all been futile as the power supply have continued to dwindle over the past months.
Quarterly analysis of the state of power revealed a 5 percent decline in power supply in Q1, 2019 to stand at 37 percent when compared to Q4, 2018 which stood at 42 percent. This result therefore, reveals a decline in power supply to households in the Q1, 2019.
According to the survey report, January 2019 accounted for the month with the highest cumulative daily power supply in the first quarter of 2019. Respondents surveyed confirmed that they received an average of 10.2 hours cumulative power supply in January, while the lowest average cumulative daily power supply in Q1, 2019 was seen in the month of March, 2019 at 9.2 hours.
On a quarter-on-quarter basis, the average daily cumulative power supply to households in Q1, 2019 declined to 9.6 hours when compared to the 9.7 hours obtained in Q1, 2018.
The results revealed a decline in power supply in the country despite the effort of successive governments to stabilize power through improving generation. The persistent unstable power in the country will continue to be a challenge until drastic measures are taken by the government to ameliorate the situation.
The power sector is still faced with the variety of issues ranging from generation to distribution. Nigeria’s power generation continue to hover around 5,000 and 7,000 megawatts making it one of the least electrified nations in the world with its attendant effect which include inability to cope with a burgeoning population. It has been established that a large portion of Nigerians do not have access to power supply which makes the country the highest with electricity access deficit. It is against this backdrop that NOIPolls conducted its quarterly survey to assess electricity distribution to Nigerian households in the first quarter of 2019.
‘’Venturing into other forms of power generation like wind, solar etc remains the most potent and viable option to solve the epileptic power supply situation in the country,’’ NOIPolls said.
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