Those who own DisCos are not electrical engineers, they got them as political favour

President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday disclosed that Nigerians are facing epileptic power supply because those who bought the various electricity distribution companies got them based on political factor and geopolitical consideration rather than based on merit.

He also said many of those who bought the DisCos were not electrical engineers and thus, could not understand the intricacies of the power system in the country, adding that while the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) is 100 per cent government-owned, his government inherited the Distribution Companies (DisCos).

The president disclosed these while speaking during an exclusive interview on Channels Television on Wednesday evening, adding that he was not happy with the country’s capacity of electricity production.

He added that he was not happy with the power supply situation in the country, saying: “I am not because I identify that no country can develop without infrastructure and infrastructure means road, rail and power.”

According to the president, “The owners of DisCos bought them based on geo-political zones rather than merit. The people that own them, who are they? They are not electrical engineers, they don’t have money, it is just a political favour.

“To remove a system and reintroduce one is no joke. Luckily, we have the TCN and that is the transmission. If we can get our technology right, we will cut the cost on transmission and the likelihood of sabotaging the lines and so on.

“We are doing the rail from Lagos to Kano, road from here to Kaduna to Kano. So we have to get the infrastructure right and then Nigerians will mind their own business. But when the infrastructure is not there, the roads are not there, the rail is virtually killed, no power, what do we expect people to do?”