Engineer Atinuke Wuraola Owolabi,the President, APC Professional Women Network & Coalition of Professional Women in Politics,has appealed to the Federal Government to reconsider its decision to deliver 75,000 electricity meters under the International Competitive Bid 1 .
She said the current actions are clear disincentive to backward integration and counterproductive to the country’s industrial growth.
The Federal Government had said it will deliver the first batch of over 3.2 million electricity meters procured to bridge the over 7 million units metering gap in the country.
In a statement, Special Adviser on Strategic Communications and Media Relations to the Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, Bolaji Tunji, quoted the minister as saying that 75,000 meters under the International Competitive Bid 1 are expected by April 2025.
The second batch of 200,000 meters will follow in May 2025, the statement added.
Engineer Owolabi,who is also the Managing Director/CEO of Wurvicat International Limited,maintained that the exercise must commence with national competitive bidding,while advising Nigeria to borrow a leaf from the President of the United States, Donald Trump, who disrupted the new world order and globalization by promoting trade wars through tariffs, championing protectionism with the sole aim of bringing back jobs and industries to the United States.
She said Nigeria’s economy cannot survive by remaining 95% import-dependent, thriving solely on a service-based structure without strong industries and a functional manufacturing sub-sector.
She added:”What we need is re-industrialization, wealth creation, backward integration, gainful employment, and sustainable growth and development.The question now is:How many of these meters are being sourced from Nigerian manufacturers?
“If the Honourable Minister of Power is deliberately sidelining local manufacturers for selfish or ulterior motives, I will have no choice but to write a personal letter to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, and copy the youth organizations along with other relevant and critical stakeholders”.
Nigeria,she said,can’t continue to destroy our local industries while thousand of its youth are unemployed and roaming the street.
She lamented that the Minister appears to be more concerned about purchasing meters from abroad,while turning deaf ears on the growing number of unemployed youth in the country.
She added:”Why can’t he channel that same funding into strengthening local meter manufacturers? Why not begin with national competitive bidding, rather than rushing into international competitive bidding?
“What truly matters is that the tender parameters are structured to meet global standards without compromising national interest.
“If the Honourable Minister genuinely cares about the nation’s future, this is the time to prove it. The current actions are a clear disincentive to backward integration and industrial growth, and they are, quite frankly, counterproductive”.
