Generator Users Will Go To Jail - National Assembly

A bill seeking to ban the importation of the generating set has passed first reading at the National Assembly.

The bill seeks to ban the importation and use of power generating sets in the country and to curb the menace of environmental pollution which leads to potential health hazards it poses to the entire nation.

If passed into law, would mean that Nigerians would have to adopt other means of generating power as almost everyone depends on generators, including public office holder, small and medium scale business owner, religious centres and more.

Nigeria, with a population of about two hundred million people, generates a meagre 3000 megawatt of electricity despite enormous resources that have been committed to the power sector.

The bill sponsored by Senator Bima Muhammad Enagi (Niger South Senatorial District) and titled: ‘A BILL FOR AN ACT TO PROHIBIT/BAN THE IMPORTATIONIUSE OF GENERATING SETS TO CURB THE MENACE OF ENVIRONMENTAL (AIR) POLLUTION AND TO FACILITATE THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE POWER SECTOR,’ states that defaulters would face the wrath of the law.

It stated that any person who Imports generating sets or knowingly sells them shall be guilty of an offence and be liable on conviction to be sentenced to imprisonment for a term not less than ten years, except the importation or sale of any generating set is to be used for essential services.

The bill further stated that the ban will not stand if the use of the generating sets as use for essential purposes by hospitals, nursing homes and healthcare facilities, airports, railway stations/services, Elevators (lifts), Escalators, Research Institutions, and all facilities that require 24 hours electric power supply.

The Bill, which may be cited as the Generating Sets (Prohibition/Ban) Bill, 2020, described Generating Set as a machine that is used for producing electricity.

It added that approval for exclusion shall be obtained from the Minister in charge of Power, Babatunde Fashola, who shall brief the Federal Executive Council quarterly on approvals granted.

The proposed ban on the use of power generators is coming at a time when the Manager, Public Affairs, Transmission Company of Nigerian, Ndidi Mbah, stated that enough power cannot be generated due to the shortage in gas supply.