A professor of building and Head, Department of Building, University of Lagos, Godwin Idoro, has called on the Federal Government to separate the Ministry of Power, Works and Housing, and ensure stable power supply for a meaningful change in the country.
According to Idoro, what exists in the country as far as roads are concerned are expired and dead roads, adding that the existing housing deficit posed another serious challenge to the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola.
“Even if the minister is seen as a super human being, the fact that he is a human being puts limitation in his ability, efforts, time and eventual achievement,” he said.
The don noted that in reviewing the merger of power, works and housing, the major issue of concern should be how related the three sectors are as well as the cost, performance and benefits.
Idoro said, “On how related power, works and housing are, it is true that the three sectors belong to the infrastructure industry; their products are mainly infrastructure and their activities are concerned solely with infrastructure development, operation and maintenance.
“However, the notion that power, works and housing are the only sectors constituting infrastructure is incorrect. Infrastructure cuts across many sectors. Education, water, tourism and petroleum are all concerned with infrastructure.”
He noted that the cost implication of the merger, considering the restructuring of the ministries late last year, the appointment of a separate permanent secretary for power and the retention of the staff members of the former Ministry of Power, was minimal.
“Presently, power, works and housing are in one ministry with two permanent secretaries and observers believe that the arrangement is based on President Muhammadu Buhari’s awareness of the importance of the power sector and the challenges confronting it. Why the power sector does not deserve a separate ministry or minister is what observers do not understand and cannot explain,” he stated.
Idoro said the merger of power, works and housing had increased the level of bureaucracy and created more bottlenecks in the activities and services of the ministry thereby delaying policy formulation, decision making and implementation.
He added that the merger had made the ministry unresponsive to change and unable to address critical issues such as liberalisation and partnerships with the organised private sector, which are crucial to repositioning the development, operation and sustenance of the decayed infrastructure.
Idoro said the country had experienced cosmetic change in power supply in late May 2015 when Buhari came into power, but that the 10, 16 and sometimes 20 hours of power supply per day was a laughable change.
“Unfortunately, the power generation, transmission and distribution output is grossly inadequate to meet consumption. The challenges confronting the power sector are enormous. The national power output has diminished considerably since the inception of this new democratic government,” he stated.
The HoD added that while the minister in charge of the sector was trying to formulate appropriate policies and frameworks to move forward, he had two equally challenging, inefficient and ineffective sectors in works and housing to combine with it.
“It is very pertinent for President Muhammadu Buhari to take another look at the existing structure in which the power sector is merged with works and housing as a single ministry,” he said.