Reverse privatization on electricity,not adding value to people– Professor Mande 

— No, to water privatization

Kola Oyelere Kano

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PROFESSOR Hosea Mande of Kaduna State University,has called for reversal  of electricity privatization adding that since 2013 the sector has not added any significant value to the need of the people

He also 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 as not drawn the country back to present epilepsy the country faced over the electricity privatization

“Within a period of time , from 2023 to date ,the country has nothing to show for going by a numbers of  collapses in national grid to date” he said

He made  this known,while speaking with press at a program organised by the Public Service International( PSI) on the theme ” Promoting Transparency and Decent Work in Supply Chains in electricity in sub- Sahara Africa ” held at R and K palace in Kano

Professor Mande said” ,we are today to demonstrate om “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 term of privatization, have we seen the change, recording improvement or challenges in respect of those sectors,which are basic sector for the entire country

‘ These our common heritage, that Nigerians expected ,to have a benefit from adding that before 2023,there are series of privatization of those three sectors,in term of electricity, water and waste service sectors

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’

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According to him,” ,There are a lots of complaints from the trade unions that they are not carry along in decisions making when government intends to privatize those sectors,at least to listen to their views

Nigerians are worry ,for government to have given our own comnon inheritance to certain group of people and the Nigerians are not getting supply of power noting that these are challenging people are really worry about .

” From 2023, there are about five times  collapsed,after the privatization, while in 2024, it was also discovered that there are three national grid collapsed and in  2025 ,it was equally discovered that up to six national grid collapsed are recorded

‘While in term of metering,, people are complaining, they have not gotten meters, as according to them, ,is from meter you will be able to know what you are consuming or what you are paying for” he said

 He 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”

Speaking in the same vein,Comrade Ayuba Barde,the zonal organising secretary 1,north west , national union of electricity employee,said” There are a lot of negative impact on the country and the citizens as far as electricity privatization is concerned

People were paying through their nose,these inventors that came on board, were only interested on what they will take home,not keen in re- investing into the system adding that what we were looking at is that they did not buy the property”

Comrade Lawrence Ilesanmi Alo, acting general secretary-,amalgamated union of public corporation,civil service technical and recreationtal service employee ,while commenting on privatization of water said-” it is not good to privatize water , because it is a social service that supposed to be subsidized by the  government

However,the government is  running away from it’s responsibility,by trying to involve private sector to take up the production and distribution of water,which will further added economic burden to the hardship the people of the country were passing through

He empharsised that these private sectors,  because they were commercially oriented and interest oriented, they will not give quality water, to people and the treatment will not all that be good ”

By the time such a private sector taken over selling water,they may not pump out well treated water adding such untreated water can cause malaria , typhoid fever ,thereby given more problems to the government to confronted with as far as  health sector is concerned

Commenting on borehole drilling,which people now resolted to in order to get water ,he noted  that research, has shown that too much of drilling boreholesc to source for water can cause  a serious threat to environment

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Too much water borehole can made earth to collapses, and thusc can causes a lot of havoc in the environment

He therefore urged all the patriotics stakeholders not to allow any steps been taken by government  on move on the privatization of water sees the light of the day