(04) Gestation, My A$$
I thought the term gestation was an interesting choice for the minister
of information to use in describing the tragedy that is power supply in
Nigeria today because it normally describes the process leading to
birth, which miraculous as it is, implies the passage of a fairly
predictable time period and is well understood in general.
Also remarkable is how, in recent times, different government
spokespersons have come up with all sorts of straw men to blame for the
atrocious power situation. One day it's the Niger Delta militants, the
next it's global warming; low water levels in Kainji dam aren't spared
the blame (while we supplying uninterrupted power to neigboring
countries). In that context, this latest piece of $hit to escape from
good company on the tongue of the minister of information is one more
insult to the already overwrought and overheated Nigerian populace.
The only person(s) who the government has failed to blame - and the
ONLY person culpable - is the current government, overwhelmingly 'led'
by the PDP or Papa Deceive People party. If the argument about power
projects having a long gestation period is to be entertained, it is
only in the context that the government no longer has anywhere to hide
it's incompetence because anyone with any level of competence in this
sector would have recognized EARLY in the life of the government, the
importance of power generation and distribution and PRIORITIZED it
above ALL else.
Instead, we've read about divisive and wasteful power squabbles at the
highest echelons of government where checks of 400 million naira were
routinely written and despatched to parts unknown.
Nothing this government has done in the electric power sector indicates in inkling of capacity for forecasting.
We've changed company names and corporate colors to no avail. Recently,
it became so bad that public service announcements were aired on radio
pleading with people to stop beating up Power Holding Company of
Nigeria staff on sight. That's how angry the populace feels. A popular
making the rounds goes thus:
A hard working, regular gentleman has experienced and enjoyed no power
at his residence for over a month - which (which sadly, is pretty
common). Upon returning from work on day, he sees yet another
electricity bill for services not rendered awaiting him with the added
threat of 'cutting his line' if he doesn't pay promptly. In annoyance,
he goes to his local 'friendly' PHCN office to complain. There, he
confronts the District Manager saying, "Sir, I have had no lights/power
at all for over two months, how come I'm getting this ridiculous bill?"
The District Manager consults his records and retorts "How can you say
that, we gave you light for 5 minutes on Wednesday morning!"
(Un)Funny as this may be, it describes perfectly, the experience of
most citizens of the Country dubbed the 'Giant of Africa'. At this
moment, the giant feels very claustrophobic and shut in.
(05) 2007 Elections
So, the much anticipated elections have come and gone! Are these my
fingers typing? Am I still alive? What happened to all the predictions
that Nigeria was going to explode during the elections? That many
hundreds of thousands of people might lose their lives?
Predictions and rumors that had people buying their plane tickets to
climes afar so they could ‘survive’ the elections? Wow! Nigeria is
still standing? Who-da-thunk it! Certainly there are many aspects of
the elections that leave a bitter aftertaste in the mouth but what is
most important to me each day I log onto The Nigerian Village Square is
that the ticker to a new Nigerian administration is still counting down.
Now, in the aftermath of the elections, a spate of sitting tribunals,
impeachments, legal rulings and commentary is filling the airwaves and
newspapers. It is a very exciting time in the country. Somehow or the
other, the ‘blood’ is moving within the nations arteries.
Indeed, shortly after the elections, I walked into my brother’s
compound in Magodo and froze! Something was distinctly different! I
thought I’d noticed it coming down the street but on entering his
compound I was confronted so strongly that I had to speak out, asking
my brother what was missing. He confirmed my suspicions. His generator
was OFF! I asked him about the power situation and he said that since
it had gone from atrocious to merely bad, there was an ‘improvement’.
What the hell?! You’d ask. You cannot appreciate what this means to me
because from the first day I arrived here and in the 2-odd months
following. He had to put his generator on EVERY day/night, just to have
a semblance of sanity. The noise pollution and expense of running a
generator which is supposed to be a backup system on a daily basis can
only be imagined. For PHCN to give his generator a ‘break’ is a major
advance.
Just the other day, I glanced in the paper and saw PHCN announcing that
they had ‘upped’ the nation’s power output from 1400MW to about 3300MW.
I don’t know whether that is what is responsible, but me likey!
A few people are suspecting or wondering whether there was some form of
sabotage in the months immediately preceding the elections in order to
sour the populace on the ruling party. If that was the case, they did
succeed, but at what cost? So many small businesses have collapsed and
there has got to be a correlation between lack of work and opportunity
and increases in crime.
If it really was sabotage, it still exposes a measure of incompetence
on the part of the government as it was unable to identify and isolate
the source of suspected or alleged sabotage and EXECUTE those
responsible. Yes, I feel strongly that anyone who sabotages power
supplies in Nigeria should be summarily executed. No questions asked.
In the 11th hour, government is announcing that there are a number of
power stations expected to come on stream. I’m not naïve enough not to
know why the last minute is always the most providential time for
contracts to be awarded: Solidify those you’re leaving behind and
indebt them to you.
Speaking of indebtedness, I’m intrigued by so many commentaries about
how Obasanjo can/will ‘teleguide’ the new government. If even our
recent history is anything to go by, I’d suggest we ask IBB, who
allegedly ‘put’ OBJ in government, how well he has been able to
‘teleguide’ his ‘protégé’. People are disinclined to give credit to
Yar’Adua for reasons best known to them and I actually think that is to
his advantage because it’s great to be underrated coming in; it gives
you ‘room’ to ‘improve and impress’.
Since he appears to be the incoming president, I’m willing to watch and
wait. There’s got to be something to be said for a PhD in Chemistry -
certainly some effective gray matter! For those who can remember, one
of the most popular fighting styles in karate movies past was the
‘drunken master’. He appeared so befuddled and ineffectual, he
successfully lulled his opponents into dropping their guard before
defeating them.
There is the distinct possibility that Nigeria might be lurching from
pathetic to pedestrian leadership Or we could be making history and
transitioning from a mediocre past to a masterful historical era. What
are YOU going to do to assure the latter?
(06) Nine Lives
Two weekends ago, I hung out at one of my favorite venues in Victoria
Island, Lagos - Terra Kulture – www.terrakulture.com to immerse myself
in the provocative architecture and interior décor, grab a meal, surf
the web, and enjoy views of a serene and pristine garden, uninterrupted
by the burglary bars we regularly see elsewhere.
It turned out a book signing had been scheduled and I decided to
attend. It was surreal being in that room! Nigerians (and others) of
all stripes quickly filled the room; Doyens of Nigerian literature like
Odia Omeifun and Hope Eghagha were speakers at the event, along with
the head of Lagos branch of the Association of Nigerian Authors. The
author El Nukoya spoke about his inspiration and the genesis of the
novel, Nine Lives, and I daresay he inspired not a few people to go, do
and be all they imagined themselves to be.
I’d already been sold on the book before knowing it was scheduled to be
the subject of the days event because of its sterling production and
packaging. I’ve not yet started reading it but I’m sure to schedule it
in this weekend or the next and I’ll create a review for NVS bookshelf
section. Learn more about the book and author at www.elnukoya.com.
I was thrilled to be in an environment where the written word was being
given primacy of place and I enjoyed the question and answer session
following the book signing. Three different people delivered readings
from the book and each of them brought the characters to life. Now THAT
was fun!
My only regret, which I expressed to the owner of Terra Kulture, was
that the event, and others like it, was not video recorded. She
immediately asked the librarian to bring it up at their next management
meeting and I suspect that in line with her creative approach to doing
business, video recordings will be standard procedure at Terra Kulture.
As this generation proceeds to contribute to the fabric of Nigeria, we
have a duty to record and archive events like this for generations
unborn. There is no doubting our understanding of value of video –
just look at Nollywood!
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