Obviously worried by the spate of events in the economy and parts of the country, President Muhammadu Buhari has summoned Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo State, the Minister of Power, Abubakar Aliyu, and the Chief Economic Adviser, Prof Doyin Salami, to a meeting at the seat of power today, Monday.
A statement by Garba Shehu, the presidential spokesman, said President Buhari will meet with the key government officials separately this afternoon.
The president is expected to be briefed by the Imo governor on the recent developments State, while Aliyu is expected to give an account of the events in the nation’s power sector, which has witnessed the worst performance in the past two weeks.
The invitation to Uzodinma is hardly surprising to anyone, given the upsurge violence and killings in the southeastern state within the past two weeks.
The latest of such violence was the torching on Saturday morning of the country home of Prof George Obiozor, the President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, the sociocultural organization of the Igbo people.
There have also been reports of police stations in various parts of the state being attacked by the so-called Unknown Gunmen, with police officials being shot and killed in those attacks. Last week, two Prison officials were mowed down by members of the gang in the state.
Nigerians have been reeling under harsh economic conditions brought about largely by the twin evils of power sector instability and the shortage of diesel, with the price nearly tripping so far this year.
The national grid has collapsed several times this month, with the country being thrown into total darkness, sometimes for days. Even power supply is eventually restored, it only lasts a few hours before another round of collapses begins.
This has threatened both industrial and commercial activities across all sectors of the economy. The impact of the fall in power supply has been worsened by the shortage of diesel, on which most industrial machines run in Africa’s leading oil producer. Last week, industrialists and manufacturers warned that a shutdown loomed in the country should be power shortage continue.
