FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO UNBUNDLE 11 DISCOS, ORDERS SALE OF FOUR
Power distribution companies in Nigeria are currently being unbundled along state lines due to their large sizes that often result in efficiency and ineffectiveness, the Federal Government declared on Monday.
It stated that the privatisation of the firms would not be reversed, but stressed that the Discos would be broken into more efficient structures along state lines so as to be able to deliver on their mandates.
This came as the Federal Government also ordered the sale of Discos that have been taken over by banks and the Assets Management Corporation from its original investors/owners.
Currently, four Discos are under the management of banks and AMCON.
The Abuja Electricity Distribution Company is under the management of the United Bank of Africa (UBA), while Fidelity Bank manages Benin Electricity Distribution Company, Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company, and Kano Electricity Distribution Company.
The four Discos are under these new managements due to their inability to repay their loans to the financial institutions.
The government stated that those who acquired the Discos when the firms were officially privatized in November 2013, lacked the required expertise and financial capacity to run the companies.
This came as the Senate Committee on Power lambasted the Discos for being so inefficient since they took over the privatised assets over 10 years ago, and called for the overhaul of the power firms.