Websjournal of Science and Engineering Application ISSN: 1974-1400-X, Vol 2, No 2, 2013, 96-102 S. O. Odeyemi, A. O. Adeyemi and A. A. Adedeji 96 Websjournal of Science and Engineering Application//Lyon _ AIGEN EFFECTS OF POWER FAILURE ON CIVIL ENGINEERING CONSULTANCY WORKS IN ILORIN, NIGERIA S. O. Odeyemi 1 , A. O. Adeyemi 2 and A. A. Adedeji 3 1,2, Department of Civil Engineering, Federal Polytechnic, Offa. 1 odeyemiso@yahoo.ca, 2 bunmieyinade@yahoo.co.uk, 3, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Ilorin, Ilorin. gaiadeji@gmail.com ABSTRACT This paper looked into the effect of epileptic power supply on the cost of running a Civil Engineering Consultancy firm in Ilorin, Nigeria. BAL Engineering Ltd., No 38, Stadium Road, Ilorin was used as a case study. A data of power consumption for eight hours during the working days i.e. Monday to Friday, from February 2011 to November 2011 was collected both for Power Holding Corporation of Nigeria (PHCN) and a diesel powered generator. It was discovered that the cost spent on fueling the generator for the period of 10 months was N 563,750.00 and the money paid to PHCN was N 20,998.10. The company would have been able to save 93.82% of the cost of fueling the generator if the source of power generation was only from PHCN. It is therefore recommended that the power sector of the economy be improved upon. Keywords: Civil engineering, consultancy, power consumption, power holding corporation of Nigeria, diesel powered generator. 1. INTRODUCTION The poor state of infrastructure supply in developing countries has a negative impact on their economic performance. Lee and Anas (1992) reported that manufacturing industries in Nigeria spent an average of 9% of their variable costs on infrastructure, with electric power accounting for half of this share. The provision of infrastructure in most developing countries is the responsibility of the government. This is because infrastructure supply is characterized by high set up cost (Ajayi, 1995). Its lumpiness and indivisibility precludes the private sector from investment. Its indirect way of payoff coupled with its long gestation period makes it generally unattractive to private investors. Moreover, provision also generates externalities that the producer may not be fully able to internalize in the pricing structure. Thus, in the face of other numerous competing, less risky and more familiar investment opportunities offering the promise of higher and quicker returns, few private investors are willing to embark on infrastructure investment (Ajayi, 1995). However, the nearly exclusive concentration of infrastructure provision in the hands of the public sector, especially in developing countries has led to failures in the supply of these services. Faced with declining economic fortunes and dwindling revenue, most government in developing countries find it increasingly difficult to keep pace with governance such that its infrastructure and social service affect the pricing of its products and consequently the effectiveness of their provision. Besides these, the traditional inefficiency associated with the public monopolies affects the quality and reliability of their services (Adeola, 2005). 2. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of power supply on the cost of doing consultancy jobs in Nigeria using a company in Ilorin as a case study. 3. POWER SUPPLY IN NIGERIA In Nigeria, poor electricity supply is perhaps the greatest infrastructural problem confronting the economy. The typical Nigerian firm experiences power failure or voltage fluctuations about seven times per week, each lasting for about two hours without the benefit of prior warning. This imposes a huge cost on the firms arising from idle workers, spoiled materials, lost output, damaged equipment and restart costs. The overall impact is to increase business uncertainty and lower returns on investments. For the aggregate economy, this has seriously undermined Nigeria’s growth potential and the attractiveness of the economy to external investors (Adeola, 2005). WEBSJOURNAL OF SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING APPLICATION WESEA ISSN: 1974-1400-X Vol 2, No 2, 2013, 96-102