“I have too many
clothes that I intend to deliver to my clients, with strict deadlines,” he
began, grinning. “I have lost too many ‘jobs’ in the last few weeks because
there was no electricity.”
Mr Kareem, a
resident of Igando, Lagos, explained further that the generating set provided
an alternative source of power for his embroidery business. However, the
alternative came at a huge cost.
“The use of
‘generator’ was a fair alternative but it affected our overall earning,” he
said. “Usually, for a single embroidery job, I charge my clients between N1,500
and N3,000. Yet, to complete this job, I have to power my generator with fuel
of about N500, depending on the design. Some designs can be very problematic
and time-consuming, which means I have to run my generator for a longer period,
sometimes with as high as N1,000. If you burn fuel of N1,000 on a job of
N1,500, how do you survive as a business and pay (other) bills?”
Mr Kareem’s
experience is similar to that of Saheed, a cobbler based in Sango, Ogun State.
In the first week of June, Saheed said he had to reject numerous offers in the
middle of the Covid-19 lockdown because there was no electricity in his
neighborhood.
“I have no ‘gen’,”
Saheed mutters in Yoruba, “I am just planning to buy another generator because
electricity supply in this neighborhood is poor.”
“Since the lockdown
was relaxed during the week and we started operations, light has not been
stable. Many of my clients had to come pick up their uncompleted ‘materials’
last weekend. Others simply cancelled business agreements we had in the past,
because I had no electricity to operate my machine and deliver as planned. It’s
pathetic.”
Aside from the
epileptic nature of electricity in their neighborhoods, both Mr Kareem and
Saheed are irked by the “outrageous” estimated bills electricity companies
serve them monthly.
“It’s really crazy,”
Bola said of the tariff, adding that the situation is more pathetic because he
barely enjoys regular supply of electricity. “We only pay for estimated
darkness. Power problem is a major reason why small and medium businesses don’t
survive in Nigeria.”
Electricity stifling
SMEs growth
According to the
World Bank, the economic cost of power shortages in Nigeria is estimated at
around $29 billion. The figure is equivalent to two per cent of Nigeria’s Gross
Domestic Product (GDP). The Bank says that about 47 per cent of Nigerians do
not have access to grid electricity and those who do have access, face regular
power cuts.
A
PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) report published in June revealed that electricity
accounts for the biggest costs to daily operations for many small and medium
scale businesses in Nigeria. The report, titled “PwC’s MSME Survey 2020 –
Building to last”, stated that Nigeria’s power sector is “overwhelmed by a
myriad of challenges ranging from operational inefficiencies to infrastructure
deficiencies”. These challenges have resulted in inadequate electricity supply
that has had an adverse impact on the business environment in Nigeria.
According to the
2020 Doing Business report, getting access to electricity ranks as one of the
major constraints for the private sector in Nigeria. While big companies
operating on big budgets and debt financing can afford to seek alternative
means of power through off-grid energy sources, small businesses operating on
shoe-string budgets are left at the mercy of Nigerian electricity operators.
With its ballooning
population, now estimated at around 200 million people, Nigeria has witnessed
rapid increase in commercial and industrial activities in the last decade. A
significant portion of these economic activities depends essentially on
electricity supply. According to the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics (NBS), as of
2018, 5.7 million households, 51,000 industries and over 770,000 commercial
ventures were consumers of power in Nigeria.
In its analysis of
the economic factor intensity as a result of the shortfall of low electricity
supply, PwC said that “approximately 1 out of every 7 firm” exits the Nigerian
economy because of power concerns.
According to the
United Nations, for its population of about 200 million people, Nigeria’s
energy need is 170,000MW. But data obtained from the websites of the Ministry
of Power and the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI) showed that the
country presently boasts of 7500 megawatts (MW) of available electricity
generation, with an installed capacity of about 13,000MW. The transmission
wheeling capacity is estimated to be about 5000MW but due to technical
constraints, distribution to homes and businesses is less than 4000MW.
Hence, over the
years, demand for electricity has outpaced generation, transmission and
distribution capacity, throwing small and medium enterprises out of business.
It has equally prevented small businesses from innovating and creating jobs.
“The lack of
reliable power has stifled economic activity and private investment and job
creation, which is ultimately what is needed to lift 100 million Nigerians out
of poverty,” says Shubham Chaudhuri, World Bank Country Director for Nigeria.
Last month, as parts
of efforts to improve the country’s power situation, the World Bank Board of
Directors approved the Power Sector Recovery Operation (PSRO) of $750 million
in International Development Association (IDA) credit. The initiative is meant
to improve the reliability of electricity supply, achieve financial and fiscal
sustainability, and enhance accountability in the power sector in Nigeria.
In May, President
Muhammadu Buhari kicked off the next phase of a deal with Siemens, to upgrade
the nation’s dilapidated power infrastructure. Nigeria and the German engineering
firm signed an agreement last year to rehabilitate and expand the country’s
electricity grid. The partnership with Siemens is expected to enlarge power
networks across the country until Nigeria can produce and distribute 25,000
megawatts.
The expectation is
that the partnership will propel Nigeria’s economy to prosperity, and put an
end to its long, bumpy journey to darkness.
Long road to
darkness
In 2006, as part of
Vision 20:2020, the Olusegun Obasanjo administration said that Nigeria would be
generating 10,000 megawatts of electricity by 2007 and 35,000mw by 2020, making
it one of the 20 biggest economies in the world.
By 2009, the Umaru
Yar’Adua administration modified the projections, placing installed capacity
growth at 6,000mw to 20,000mw by 2015.
In 2013, during the
tenure of Goodluck Jonathan, a privatisation exercise took place with the
mandate to increase power generation and provide stable supply of electricity
to Nigerians at affordable cost. The PHCN was unbundled and broken into six
generation companies (GenCos) and 11 distribution (DisCos) companies, handled
by private investors, with the Nigerian government taking charge of the
transmission.
But many years after
all of these steps were taken by successive administrations, Nigerians are yet
to enjoy stable electricity. Businesses that rely essentially on power have had
to exit the economy, with attendant negative effects on job creation and
economic opportunities.
PwC in its report in
June said liquidity crunch is the biggest challenge of the Nigerian power
sector, caused by low collection, distribution losses and the inability of
Discos to meet their payment obligations to the Nigerian Bulk Electricity
Trading Company (NBET). Other limitations include absence of cost-reflective
tariff, gas shortages, poor transmission, energy theft, estimated billing and
metering challenges.
For small business
owners who spoke to PREMIUM TIMES, estimated billing and opaque metering system
are two major concerns killing their businesses, almost literally.
“Crazy Bills, Opaque
metering”
In March, Chiddy
Chemicals disconnected from the Ibadan Electric power source, opting to operate
solely on generator. The small firm, operating from two shops in Apete area of
Ibadan, Oyo State, said estimated bills have made a mess of its revenue.
Victoria, an office
assistant at the shop, told PREMIUM TIMES that her boss made the decision after
years of settling “crazy bills” without enjoying commensurate value in
electricity supply.
“It’s been
frustrating,” she began, fuming.“For instance, in December, they brought an
estimated bill of N18, 000, and N21,000 in January. We were so shocked because
we barely enjoy electricity here. The maximum we get daily is, maybe, 5 hours.
We could go for days without electricity. That was when my boss said he had had
enough of the extortion and we opted out to operate solely with our generator.”
Small business
owners who operate with generators are susceptible to environmental and health
hazards, in addition to the environmental concern around noise pollution. For
many small businesses struggling to break even, the cost of operating solely on
generating set can be a threat to continued survival.
Victoria explained
that since they switched to alternative supply through generator, their
operating cost has gone quite high.
“We now spend an
average of N30, 000 on fuel monthly,” she said. “This affects our balance
sheet, but we have no option. Our shop employs over 10 boys but we now have
six, due to high operation cost. But even at that, the amount is minimal
compared to when we paid for estimated bills and still bought fuel of about
N20, 000 monthly.”
Between March and
June, Kayode Ajaikaye did not open for business at his water factory in
Orile-Agege area of Lagos. There was a lockdown, occasioned by Covid-19
pandemic, and he had to shut down operations. But when he resumed work in the
last week of June, he was served an estimated bill of N35,000. He could not
hide his anger when he spoke to PREMIUM TIMES.
“This is barefaced
robbery,” he said, flipping through copies of the electricity bills. “If I pay
this huge, how do I pay taxes, settle wages and salaries, and keep the factory
running?”
Although the
Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has a regulation in place
which caps arbitrary charges on estimated billing, an official of the agency
who declined to have his name in print told PREMIUM TIMES compliance has been
problematic due to poor monitoring.
Mr Ajaikaye said he
requested pre-paid meter over a year ago, but his efforts have been frustrated
as the metre is yet to be delivered. “So we pay huge amount to power our
generating sets and still pay crazy amount per estimated billing. It’s double
jeopardy,” he said.
Two other SME
operators who spoke with PREMIUM TIMES in Lagos complained about the estimated
billing and the worrisome conduct of Distribution Companies (Discos) who
frustrate consumers’ attempts to obtain meters.
Efficient delivery
of electricity is guaranteed by the meter, as it allows consumers to pay for
only what they consume, and the DISCOs to charge for only what they supply. But
many SMEs struggle at the mercy of the DISCOs who subject them to outrageous
estimated billing.
Last year, Babatunde
Fashola, immediate past minister of power, accused the DISCOs of sabotaging the
country’s economy by refusing to carry out directives aimed at resolving key
constraints to performance, including metering of consumers. But in a swift
reaction, Sunday Oduntan, Executive Director on Research and Advocacy for the
Association of Nigerian Electricity Distributors ANED, accused the Nigerian
government of reneging on agreements reached in 2013.
In January, NERC
announced that there would be an increase in electricity tariff across the
country from April 1. The new tarriff showed price increases would have ranged
from 60 to 100 per cent in some places. Except consumers in the Residential (R1)
category, who will continue to pay N4 per kWh, all other categories of
consumers, namely commercial, industrial and special, were expected to pay
higher tariffs.
The Discos have
however agreed to suspend the planned increase, amid outcry.
In the midst of the
kerfuffle among stakeholders, SMEs continue to groan and die in the dark,
silently, while unemployment rate skyrockets.
Nigeria’s
unemployment rate stood at 23.1 percent of the work force in the third quarter
of 2018, up from 18.1 percent in 2017, according to data from the Nigerian
Bureau of Statistics.
Finding solutions to
electricity challenge is key to SMEs growth and employment generation, Biola
Ajoke, an Abeokuta-based fashion entrepreneur, said. She explained that
Nigerian young people are job creators and can excel in businesses and
entrepreneurship, if offered the enabling environment.
Way Out?
A major concern
among Discos is the absence of cost-reflective tariff, linked to failure to
deploy meters. In the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) included in the
Performance Agreement (PA) for the DisCos, the NERC, through the EPSRA Act of
2005, states that power utility companies are charged with the responsibility
of metering consumers.
But a quarterly
report on the operations of the country’s electricity market for the third
quarter of 2018 by NERC showed that out of a total of 8, 310, 408 registered
active electricity customers, only 3, 704, 302 (44.6 per cent) have been
metered. By implication, about 55.4 per cent of consumers are still on
estimated billing, fuelling suspicion that the DisCos are reluctant to deploy
metres so as to continue to extort consumers.
James Adamson, a
stylist at Rozay Dee Beauty Salon, argued that as value creators, Nigerian SMEs
are ready and willing to pay for electricity used, “once supply is stable and
the cost is reasonable.” The inability to deploy metre also accounts for the
shortfall in tariff revenue, he added.
“The Discos are only
ready to promote estimated billing,” noted Akinbodunse Shadrack of the
Utilities Consumers Rights Initiative of Nigeria, based in Ibadan. “NERC’s
order on CAPPING of estimated billing failed from inception as the level of
compliance is very poor and electricity consumers have not seen any effect of
the order.”
In Abuja, Joseph
Peters said he operates a hair salon on the outskirts of the city and didn’t
open for operation in most part of May.
“But to my surprise,
I was served a bill of about N15,000 when we resumed weeks ago,” Mr Peters
said. He makes roughly N35,000 monthly, after paying municipal taxes and other
bills, adding that he had had to lay off one of his assistants due to declining
patronage and huge operating cost.
PwC in its report
noted that for the Nigerian power sector to achieve about 6.5 times increase in
annual per capita consumption by 2025, stakeholders needed to accelerate growth
in power generation capacity, improve utilization, and scale up efficient power
distribution capabilities.
The audit firm noted
that to achieve this, solution lies in expansion of the on-grid generation
capacity by improving gas supply to eliminate non-operational capacity,
replacement of the obsolete equipment at power plants to restore unavailable
capacity, investment in the development of new power plants, as well as the
expansion of existing plants. It added that power generated and delivered
through the value chain must be recovered at full monetary value.
The new partnership
between Nigeria and Siemens is expected to modernise and enlarge the nation’s
existing power network, provide stable power, and open up opportunities in the
economy for SMEs to thrive and grow.
In May, Mr Buhari
directed his power and finance ministers to “commence the pre-engineering and
concessionary financing aspects” of the project.
But for Ms Ajoke,
the Siemens deal notwithstanding, it’s still a long way to redemption. In June,
the entrepreneur laid off three support staff and shut down a fashion shop on
the outskirt of Abeokuta, due to huge operating cost.
“Let’s hope that
there will be light at the end of this dark, dark tunnel,” she said, her voice
a mélange of hope and despair.
0 Comments