Nigeria Can’t Grow With Generator – Driven Economy,  MAN Warns

The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, MAN,  has warned that the Nigerian economy cannot grow when industries operating in Nigeria are being run on genrators, instead of electricity.

The Chairman, Rivers/Bayelsa States Branch of MAN, Senator Adawari Pepple, explained that an economy that had been generator-driven for a long time would not be able to compete with other economies with regular power supply.

 Pepple, who made this known in a telephone conversation explained that members of the association were always facing the challenge of irregular power supply and had always relied on generators.

 He pointed out that the situation had always affected the cost of production, adding that the power distribution and generation companies must raise their game and help to improve the economy. Pepple noted that for the Nigerian economy to compete with developed economies, the government must begin to address the issue of irregular power supply.

He expressed surprise that Discos were seeking tariff increase without providing regular power supply to Nigerians.

“There should be regular power before you talk about tariff increase. It has always been the position of MAN that our sector and, in fact, the Nigerian economy cannot be generator-driven; it has to be power distribution-driven to develop.

Meanwhile the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, has assured members of the Organised Private Sector ,OPSN, of stimulus packages which would be made available soon to assist operators in the sector in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The ministry noted that under some of these interventions which include a N50 billion survival funds for Micro Small and Medium Enterprises ,MSME and a N15 billion guaranteed uptake scheme to save 500,000 jobs, 40 per cent of the funds will be reserved for women-owned businesses.

 The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Adeniyi Adebayo, gave the assurance at a virtual meeting with the OPSN leaders, comprising the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria ,MAN, the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture ,NACCIMA, the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association ,NECA, the Nigerian Association of Small and Medium Enterprises ,NASME and the Nigerian Association of Small Scale Industrialists,NASSI.

 A statement by the Director General of NACCIMA, Mr. Ayoola Olukanni,  noted the meeting was attended by NACCIMA President,  who is also the OPSN President, Mrs. Saratu Iya Aliyu; the President of MAN, Mr. Ahmed Mansur; the President of NECA, Mr. Taiwo Adeniyi and the President of NASME, Mr. Orimadegun Agboade.

The minister affirmed that the private sector has an important role to play in the effort to restart the economy and assured the OPSN of his readiness,  to work closely with the private sector in this regard.