Back in the day, when we still have NEPA as the main body that gives us electricity in Nigeria, we complained bitterly not knowing that was just the beginning of our plight as far as the issue of electricity is concerned.
Right from the early ’80s till the middle of the ’90s could be said to be “last best moment” we have it good. But the moment General Ibrahim Babangida came as the President and thereafter decided to dash out oil blocks to his cronies which they see as a way to make more money at expense of common man on the street that the power generation becomes more aggravated.
Things started falling apart and the centre could no longer hold. Those whom he gave oil blocks and unscrupulous elements took advantage of this, using hoodlums to cut power generating cables so that when there’s no light, people would be forced to pick up their kegs and drums to buy fuel for their generators and from that, they become richer.
The bourgeois now sees this as an opportunity to import generators of different sizes into the country. The government was cajoled to see this a bilateral trade between the two countries while those who could not afford to buy them became helpless while others were thrown into the labour market. As the wise saying goes that ” an Idle hand is the devil workshop”. The lazy ones who could not find anything doing joined bad gangs which increased the rate of crime from top to bottom and from bottom to top.
Many of the young and able individuals who’re professionally engaged are no longer in their places of work. The barbers, welders, and carpenters have all become Okada rider when there’s no stable electricity to execute their job. Some as a result of that become a nuisance to their parents and community.
The economy became choked up. Just imagine how buoyant the economy look like if the power is stable and businesses that use electricity are functioning. The rate of crime in the country will no doubt be reduced to the barest minimum.
Obviously, one cannot compare that time with what we have on our laps now. Back then, when my parents were paying the bills, I never knew or understand what they were going through not having to enjoy a bit of what they paid for. But as for me, my pain was limited to unavailability of electricity to watch a cartoon, Tales by Moonlight, Hawaii Five-O and so many other programmes. You may not 24-hour electricity but at least 18 or 20 hours is sure unless there’s a major fault somewhere around the area which could hang blackout on the areas for the shortest period of time.
I did not for once thought of their pains and agony until now that I have the responsibility of doing the same. It became far worst more than what have then. Even when the Federal government decided to hands-off and sold NEPA in the name of “Privatisation”, it was our belief that the organisations that’ll buy it and thereafter be managing it will at least consider their investments and the consumers but because the investors too have interior motives, so many things cropped up and the whole issue became more and more complicated each passing days and years and till date, the
government has not come out to tell us what the problem is and so the electricity company continue to ‘slap us’ with crazy bills and other ‘unbearable Jagbajantis’.
The most disheartening of them all is that when there’s any little fault or issue as regards power, the street affected will be asked to foot the bill to have the fault corrected or remain in the dark till God’s knows when. One can’t stop imagining the mental slavery the kind of experience we’re going
through. The consumers will pay electricity bill on monthly basis not minding whether there’s light or not and when there’s a little fault in the transformer the responsibility will be shifted on the street affected which is not right at all.
Should the consumers be the one to pay for repairing whatever fault that might occur in the transformer? Is that part of the 2005 Electricity reform?
As for me, I don’t see this as the right thing to do even if the consumers don’t know their right, it is not for the power authority to infringe on the consumers’ right. Both parties should be seen playing their role as enshrine in the electricity reform. Until we all start playing our role as citizens without
‘padding’ of some sort at any given time, that’s when we’ll start enjoying the benefits accrued to doing the right thing at the right time.
The citizens too must know their right and fight for it. One cannot sit on the fence and expect manners to fall from heaven. That’s when we’ll not be ‘mumunized’ by whoever is in charge of what we pay for. The government, on the other hand, must formulate and ensure they execute policies that will see parties involve benefitting without one suffering at the expense of the other.
