What shall we now say about electricity?

Recently, in the Library of African Newspapers of Nigeria (ANN) PLC at the legendary company’s headquarters in Ibadan, a copy of the Nigerian Tribune of 1979 was lying on the table. The lead story of that newspaper quoted Alhaji Shehu Shagari as promising the nation that he would provide stable electricity in the country if elected. Alhaji Shagari was speaking as the candidate of the National Party of Nigeria (NPN), and he spoke at a campaign rally for that year’s election. Shagari won that election and became the first elected president of Nigeria. He ruled the nation and was re-elected in 1983. His second term was truncated in the evening of 31 December, 1983 when he was removed in a military coup. He could not fulfill his promise to give Nigeria stable power supply we have craved so much for so long.

The military putsch which sacked Shagari also enthroned Major General Muhammadu Buhari as the Nigerian head of state. Buhari himself was removed in another palace coup some three months before he clocked two years in office. There could be arguments that our dear Buhari did not have the luxury of time to executive many of his laudable, remarkable plans for Nigeria (which must have included provision of stable electricity) before he was sadly relieved of the position… albeit this came as a relief to hitherto caged Nigerians.

Alhaji Shehu Shagari campaigned with electricity in 1979. After him, politicians have campaigned with electricity. Politicians are still campaigning with electricity in Nigeria. Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim and all the other (secret and wishful) presidential hopefuls will still campaign with provision of electricity tomorrow. It is a recurring decimal.

In 2015, the All Progressives Congress (APC) campaigned with the provision of stable electricity. Under “Infrastructure” in its official manifesto, APC said it would “generate, transmit and distribute from current 5,000 – 6,000 MW to at least 20,000 MW of electricity within four years and increasing to 50,000 MW with a view to achieving 24/7 uninterrupted power supply within ten years, whilst simultaneously ensuring development of sustainable/renewable energy.” It is nearly eight years since the APC swept the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) away from power and into our fading memory. Where is the electricity? If anything, the country seems to be sinking deeper into and groping helplessly in the darkness prepared for it by the government and the powerful operators in the power sector.

This should be a cause for deep concern for Nigerians, but we are not concerned. The attention of Nigerians are on so many things other than the important ones. And power or electricity is one of the important things. With it, millions would not look in the direction of the government for survival. But how do we get a government that would genuinely turn things around in that all-important sector of Nigeria’s national life?

Despite the previous mellifluous promises, we the docile Nigerians are waiting to be told the same lies again for the same reason of getting our votes. A recent report in a newspaper quoted a stakeholder in the power sector as admitting the helplessness of the situation. “Power remains a national problem, as over 40 per cent of the GENCOs’ available capacity is not being enjoyed by consumers due to constraints. However, due to system constraints, the generated power is rejected or forced to be reduced to match the infrastructure that transmits and distributes this power to the customer. Records show that monthly ‘un-utilised capacity’ was averaging about 50 per cent up until 2020 before it

fell to about 30 per cent in 2020 when GENCOs available capacities was forced to drop because of systemic challenges.”

From this we can infer that power is being generated but the distribution companies lack the capacity to do the distribution. It is thus a case of having a commodity without knowing what to do with it. A mother has food but her children are cringing under the pangs of hunger. Why then can the country not find a way to deregulate the power sector, this time genuinely? Why are Nigerians not demanding action, and urgent action on the deplorable power sector?

“Our Mumu Don Do” was the campaign spearheaded by Charlie Boy, and it trended at some point in the life of this administration. Exasperated Mr. Charles Oputa returned to his legendary Charlie Boy character to come up with a campaign that would serve as a vehicle to reawaken the consciousness of the ordinary Nigerian to the many wrongs that have turned out to be the norm in the country. He and the others in the same social awakening boat with him came up with Omudodu Youth Foundation, which later became more popularly known as “Our Mumu Don Do.” He looked at the many things wrong with the country and concluded thus.

The street ambassador also referred to as ‘Area Father’ believed that from the disposition of Nigerians, our problem is like a dissected bat. When you cut one bat open, you see another one. Charlie Boy and his team are of the opinion that apart from the inanities and annoyingly obvious inadequacies of those at the helm of affairs of the country, the citizenry too are hugely complicit. Charlie Boy thinks that Nigerians don’t interrogate issues as they should. Nigerians don’t ask questions of their leaders or make the right demands of them. He concluded that this is. It good enough for a people who desire the best things of life and that attitude as this called to question the people’s claim to knowledge and prowess.

Charley Boy’s postulations is not far from the truth. How they ended the OurMumuDonDo campaign is not the issue here. How the group scattered – or what scattered the party is not the concern of this column today. People know that money disfigures the smooth face of friendship… However, the intention here is that we should take the message and ignore both the image and silhouette of the messenger. The message should spur Nigerians into an introspective look again. There is that urgent need for a self-examination. Nigerians should look in the mirror and ask (like Wande Coal did in his 2009 rendition): “Shé na like this we go dey dey?”

How much fuel is consumed daily in Nigeria?

How come we still have fuel subsidy after the APC campaigned that there was no fuel subsidy?

Why has there not been a functioning refinery in the country as against the campaign promises of president Buhari and the APC?

If we are able to genuinely deregulate the power sector, then we would be on the way to building a virile private sector-driven economy that would set the country on the path to greatness.

Atelewo eni kii tan ni je, tó d’ifa fun àjàò tó ju igbà si›lè to n fi owo gun ope. Oni tí igbá bá já, owo eni kò ni já… O ni atelewo eni kii tan ni je.

Generation, transmission and distribution of at least 20,000 MW of electricity within four years and increasing to 50,000 MW with a view to achieving 24/7 uninterrupted power supply within 10 years. FAILED

As of December 2014, the total installed capacity of the country’s power plants was 7, 445 MW, available capacity was 4,949 MW and the average generation was about 3,900 MW. However, during campaigns, then Lagos Governor now Power, Works and Housing Minister, Babatunde Fashola, had boasted on Channels TV, “Power generation isn’t rocket science. It’s just a generator. So just remember that your ‘I better pass your neighbour’ in one million times in capacity but in one place.”

However, on August 3, 2018, while addressing a retreat for top officials of his ministry he said the generation capacity is 7000 MW while the distribution capacity stood at 5,222 megawatts, a situation that shows no improvement and far off the 4000 megawatts promised to be delivered yearly by the administration.