“No More Free Lunch!” – Senate Slams FG Over Billions Wasted On Power DisCos

The Nigerian Senate has urged the Federal Government to overhaul its power sector strategy by halting what it described as the indirect enrichment of private electricity distribution companies (DisCos) through public funds.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

According to NIVONEWS, the call was made during Thursday’s plenary session by Senator Yunus Abiodun Akintunde (APC – Oyo Central), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment. The lawmaker expressed deep concern over a recurring practice where government-purchased transformers are handed over to communities, only for DisCos to claim ownership and demand additional payments for installation.

“When you buy a transformer with government funds and give it to a community, the DisCos still charge for installation,” Akintunde lamented. “But once it’s energised, it becomes their asset. This is how public money ends up enriching private monopolies,” he stated on the Senate floor.

According to NIVONEWS, Akintunde, who is Nigeria’s first PhD holder in Energy and Environmental Studies, criticised the arrangement as unsustainable and fundamentally unjust. He called for a properly structured electricity subsidy system that prioritises the needs of ordinary Nigerians. “Subsidies aren’t a Nigerian flaw—they exist globally,” he explained. “Even countries like the UK subsidise energy. We must stop throwing out the idea simply because it’s been mismanaged here in the past.”

The senator also highlighted what he termed a structural flaw in the nation’s electricity sector. While generation and distribution have been privatised, transmission remains under government control, with outdated infrastructure posing significant barriers to stable power delivery.

“If you inspect most transmission lines and substations, they’re obsolete and incapable of supporting modern power demands,” he said. “We must stop using public money to empower private interests and instead use it to empower Nigerians with affordable and reliable electricity.”

According to NIVONEWS, Akintunde’s remarks triggered widespread support among senators, many of whom echoed his concerns and demanded urgent reforms to address systemic inefficiencies across the power value chain.

”NIVONEWS REPORTS”