By Ragan M. Conteh
The Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) Members of Parliament have expressed their disappointment over the inefficiency of the Electricity Distribution and Supply Authority (EDSA) over its inability to supply power to customers in most parts of the country.
Hon. Bashiru Silikie of Constituency 082 in Bo District noted that the reason why Sierra Leoneans voted out the All People’s Congress (APC) in the 2018 March elections, was because the then APC had failed to provide reliable, affordable and sustainable electricity.
The SLPP, according to him, will not be an exception if such continues.
The MPs made the disclosure on Wednesday 23rd October 2019 at Committee Room One in Parliament.
Hon. Silikie cautioned EDSA that the SLPP government will not suffer over the incompetency of EDSA to provide electricity to the people of Sierra Leone.
He pointed out that EDSA do not even have the capacity to provide meters for its customers.
The Hon. MP attributed the high spate of illegal connections and overloaded transformers to the inability of the Authority to effectively manage the electricity problems of the people.
He called on EDSA to provide more transformers for the customers.
EDSA, he noted, are bad debtors who should move towards paying monies owed to EGTC with immediate effect.
Electricity, according to the MPs, is a political commodity and if you don’t give it to people, the President stands losing the elections just like it happened with the APC.
The Chairman of Energy Committee in Parliament, Hon. Kekura Vandy, representing Constituency 088 also expressed dismay over the manner in which EDSA is handling the issue of electricity distribution in the country.
He informed EDSA, EGTC and the Ministry of Energy that the committee has just concluded a tour to the provinces where they found a lot of irregularities in energy distribution across the country.
He warned EDSA that the institution is not running a charity organization and that they should implement what the Act says for defaulters of the institution.
He reiterated that a lot of corrupt syndicates were detected during their conducted tour by the Oversight Committee in Parliament and cited that the Ernest Bai Koroma University of Science and Technology, Port Loko Campus, has failed over the years to pay their bills running into hundreds of millions of Leones.
The Chairman also disclosed that in Kono over three hundred citizens have paid for meters but EDSA has failed to supply them.
EDSA workers in Kenema, according to the MPs, reported to the Committee that they did not have access to their NASSIT accounts as well as lack of maintenance kits.
Other anomalies reportedly discovered by the MPs include the fact the technical auditor’s report in Bo is not in line with the technical ledger.
The EGTC Acting Head of Generation, Engineer Sineh Salam Kamara, stated that the institution is currently facing lots of challenges as a result of lack of funds to carry out its functions efficiently and effectively.
He cited the collapse of many thermal machines in Lunsar, Lungi, Black Hall Road power stations and other parts of the country, adding that the machines in Port Loko City have been brought to Freetown for maintenance.
He informed the Committee that a lot of thermal machines have been overhauled as a result of faulty spare parts, and that the Lunsar Power station has been shut down for maintenance.
He continued that 2.5 million Euros and 3.7 million Dollars respectively is needed to rehabilitate the Black Hall Road and Kingtom power plants.
Engineer Sineh Salam Kamara stated that EDSA has to pay EGTC 350 billion Leones an amount, he noted, has derailed the work of the EGTC in recent years.
He also mentioned that Moyamba, Kailahun, Pujehun, Kambia, Bonthe and Kabala will soon benefit from electricity installation and generation.
The Deputy EDSA Director General, Engineer Francis Nyuma, stated that EDSA is currently facing problems with the over 50 year-old distribution networks across the country, adding that the lack of funds is one of their major challenges as an authority.
He also disclosed that many Ministries, Departments and Agencies still owe EDSA billions of Leones and indicated that his institution purchases electricity at a very high cost and sells to members of the public at lower cost.
The authority, according to him, is currently undertaking an expansion of its network in Freetown while also in the process of developing hydro potential and installation of meters.