Politics

2020 Budget: NASS Raises Eyebrow To N600m Allocated To Privatized DISCOs

Published

5 years ago

Oct 23, 2019.

The Nigerian Senate has questioned the allocation of N600m to privatized Electricity Distribution Companies in the 2020 budget by the Minister of Power.
The Senate kicked against the allocation describing as illegal and uncalled for.
The Chairman, Senate Committee on Power, Senator Gabriel Suswam, confirmed the development to newsmen shortly after the budget defence of the Ministry of Power on Monday in Abuja.
Suswam berated the ministry for such allocation adding that, as President Buhari worked to stable power supply in the country some of his lieutenants were undermining his effort from yielding positive result.
He said “the money you are spending to upgrade the ‘Disco’ ought not to come from Ministry because ‘Disco’ has been Privatized.”
The chairman however, directed the ministry to commence work on Mambila Hydro Power Project as well as give the project an urgent priority.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Power Saleh Mamman, on the issue of power supply noted that president Buhari was committed to ensuring that all parts of the country gets stable power supply.
He said “The problem of Power supply to Nigerians is endemic and has continued to persist despite several measures especially by the present administration to mitigate the situation.
“It is a Nigerian problem. It affects all of us. There is no need for blame games. No need to look back. All Nigerians irrespective of their spheres of responsibility must contribute their quota in tackling all issues affecting the Sector.”
Reacting to the budget of N600 million to ‘Disco’, the Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Power, Louis Edozien who justified the inclusion of N600 million in the 2020 budget for ‘Disco’, said that it was part of the agreement, the Power Ministry had with the ‘Disco’.