It was the former Minister of Works and Housing, Mr. Raji Fashola, SAN, who declared that any government that fails to solve the nation’s power problems should not be celebrated at all. Close to ten years when this declaration was made on national television, Nigerians are still grappling with epileptic power supply. No solution yet in sight, it appears. What a crying shame to a nation that prides itself as big brother of Africa! The incessant collapse of the national grid has become an embarrassing situation to all. Hardly a month goes by without excuses from those managing the system as to why we lack power across the country. In short, the whole nation is enveloped in darkness.
The grouping of consumers of electricity into bands A, B, C, and D has not solved the perennial problems of erratic power supply either. Surprisingly, the power outages have persisted since the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration took office with the renewed hope mantra. What is especially worrisome, is that the unending power collapses come with dire consequences, including a significant slowdown in business activities, and the movement of goods and services across the country. In addition to the heavy tariffs imposed on electricity consumers—who, unfortunately, receive unstable service, business owners are closing shops daily, owing to incessant power cuts.
The problem is compounded by the high cost and scarcity of fuel, which has become unaffordable for the common person. After the recent cabinet reshuffle, Nigerians expected that those who retained their portfolios, especially the Minister of Energy, would step up, recognising that energy is the lifeline of any country. This is especially true for Nigeria, which needs focused efforts from all sectors to revamp its struggling economy. Unfortunately, there seems to be no shift from the old ways, while the nation remains in darkness. Many argue that Nigeria is a vast country and should no longer rely solely on the national grid; rather, it should move towards empowering states to erect it grids to prevent the few obstructive players from thwarting genuine government efforts to provide power to the people.
While the government may have unbundled the power sector, we want to see a repeat of what happened in the telecommunications sub-sector; true reform and widespread service improvement. Without this, the same problem of power unavailability will continue, and the economy would suffer for it, as it is the case today. The current state of the nation demands that both the government and key players in the power sector act with urgency and should be accountable. The era of blaming past administrations, while other countries are advancing in fixing their energy, is no longer acceptable. This is the time to roll up our sleeves and confront Nigeria’s power challenges head on.
Tax collection alone is insufficient; what the people want is concrete evidence that their payments result in uninterrupted services, especially now that the complaints are widespread. In light of this, we advise the government to look inward and ensure that the country’s power issues are resolved once and for all. To put it plainly, anywhere there is no reliable power supply, businesses go extinct. Those in charge should wake up and address this persistent power failure that has come to characterise if not dented the administration’s ‘Renewed Hope’ claim.
