Dickson Okafor

As Nigerians continue to comment on President Muhammadu Buhari’s Democracy Day address on June 12, Chief Executive of Blue Diamond Logistics, China and Coordinator of Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation (NIDO), Guangzhou chapter,   Mr. Festus Mbisiogu, has called on the president to provide stable power to the citizens.

President Buhari in his speech promised to assemble a strong team of Nigerians to implement his administration’s transformation plans and lay more emphasis on its resolve to increase power generation.

  Mbisiogu at a press conference recently  evaluated Buhari’s speech stressing he   can only achieve the dream by declaring a state of emergency in the power sector.

He further advised President Buhari to double as Minister of Power and concentrate more on how to give Nigerian uninterrupted electricity, saying  it is only by so doing that the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led administration can meet its target of lifting 100 million Nigerians out of poverty in 10 years.

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The industrialist expressed confidence that Buhari would march his words with action, adding that it is possible to create 100 million jobs in 10 years only if the Federal Government fixes power sector which he said will drive the economy and create the much needed employment. He noted that past ministers of power were overwhelmed by internal and external forces that are benefitting from the system having vowed to be a stumbling block on the way of the nation attainment of stable power supply. He pointed out that the sector would require a no -nonsense person like President Buhari to be fixed, as only a courageous man with guts can confront the cabals who are bent at ensuring that steady power is not realised.

The Blue Diamond boss reiterated the need to attract Foreign Direct Investment because according to him, without investment there will be no job creation and there won’t be economic growth.

He recalled how he tried through his Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), Good Governance Initiative (GGI) to draw government’s attention to the importance of steady power supply in economic development, but regretted the lip service being paid to the issue of constant electricity supply.

He said, “Nigeria needs stable power supply to grow its economy because uninterrupted electricity supply will guarantee economic growth as no progress can be made  without stable power supply.”

While recounting the effects of lack of steady power and the danger it poses to the health and lives of Nigerians, Mbisiogu expressed sadness over increasing numbers of death as a result of generator fumes because of Nigeria’s inability to provide electricity for their homes and business centres.