TheCable

The senate has asked its committee on power to investigate the activities of power generating (GenCos) and distribution companies (DisCos) with a view to unraveling the cause of unsteady power supply in the country.

Chukwuka Utazi, lawmaker representing Enugu north senatorial district, moved the motion for a probe of the power firms during plenary on Tuesday.

Utazi said Nigeria cannot compete favourably in terms of development with other nations with the amount of electricity generated and distributed in the country.

The senator urged the federal government to find solutions to the power deficit facing by the country.

“The northern part of the country with vast expanse of land can tap into large solar farms while the southern parts of the country with significant reserves of natural gas and cola can generate power from same,” Utazi said.

“Both the north and South have large water bodies that can still be dammed for hydro.”

In her contribution, Oluremi Tinubu, senator representing Lagos central, said the failure of the power sector was largely due to the refusal of the leadership of past governments to embrace new ideas.

“Government should embrace new ideas that would take Nigeria to the next level,” she said.

The committee was given four weeks to submit its report to the house for consideration.