Generators Importers, Sellers Risk Ten Year Jail as Senate Moves to Ban Importation
POLITICS DIGEST – Prospective importers and sellers of generators in Nigeria now risk 10-year- jail term as a bill to discourage the importation of power generating sets scaled first reading in the Senate on Wednesday.
The bill is coming at a time when the country is battling the epileptic power supply.
Sponsored by Senator Bima Enagi (Niger South), the bill titled: “Generating set (prohibition/ ban) bill, 2020,” seeks to curb the menace of environmental pollution which leads to potential harm and hazard it poses to the nation and meant to facilitate the development of the power sector.
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The bill specifies that “any person who imports generating sets or knowingly sells generating sets shall be guilty of an offence and be liable on conviction to be sentenced to imprisonment for a term not less than 10 years.”
The bill however, provided that this sanction shall not apply to the importation or sale of any generating set to be used for essential services which include medical purposes (hospitals and nursing homes and healthcare facilities), airports, railway stations/services, elevators (lifts), escalators and research institutions, and such facilities that require 24- hour electric power supply.
But, the bill specifies that approval for such exclusion shall be obtained from the minister in- charge of power who shall brief the Federal Executive Council quarterly on approvals granted.
Proposing an outright ban on the use of generators, the bill stated that “all persons are hereby directed to stop the use of electricity generating sets which run on diesel/petrol and kerosene of all capacities with immediate effect in the country.”
