A nation without power
This is not a time to play with words; we are a nation in crisis that is in dire need of redemption. The idea for this piece was borne out of the fact on how the lack of stable electricity supply is hindering productivity in the country. Prior to this article, I was to write an article to be published on Monday, but the absence of electricity supply prevented me from achieving the aim.
The crisis in the power sector is now the reality of our nationhood with the severity of the challenge on our collective conscience. The rate of waste of resources (natural and human) accrued from the lack of stable electricity is colossal and has brought jeers at us from serious minded nations across the globe. Is there something in Nigeria or as Nigerians that convict us to imbecility in perpetuity? It would be illogical to think there is any other country on this planet or the universe, who will be faced with our dire situation and would be unwilling to collective say “enough is enough”, therefore putting a stop to the absurdity.
To understand the magnitude of our collective foolery, it will be good to have a retrospection since the beginning of this republic in 1999. Obasanjo during campaign promised and swore to sort the power issue once and for all. His first power minister, late Chief Bola Ige of blessed memory, naively ruled a deadline of six months to end epileptic power supply in the country. But seven years later, with successive power ministers in turn failing woefully to light up the nation, it is safe to say that they were all overwhelmed by the power they sought and their 16 billions dollars investment down the drain during his tenure between 1999-2007.
When in 2007, Yar’Adua was elected as president, he bemoaned the epileptic power supply and rightly put it as priority of his administration. To underscore the importance of it, he even declared “state of emergency” in the sector. To cut the long matter short, the totality of his tenure as well as that of Goodluck Jonathan were hapless and hopeless. Just like his predecessors, this current administration has also made enough noise in the regards of epileptic power supply with nothing to show for it, but something can come up before the end of this dispensation.
So, it can not be out of place to ask, what version of country is this? How can a nation live with such monumental disgrace where total money spent exceeds the cost needed to put in place an uninterrupted power supply? What is wrong with our thinking faculty?
The answer to the above can not be far-fetched. We are a nation motivated simply by selfishness with self-centered needs. We are deeply enthralled in our individuality. Hence, it is not uncommon to see eight generators in one building of eight flats competing in the display of value. The problem has now became more of social than economic, abi, how can you define a situation that defies understanding?
Any society that lacks the collective will, or that has no clue on what to do to provide stable power supply to both her domestic and commercial needs should not be regarded as a nation. If Nigeria can not get electricity right, she should ceased to a nation.
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