Opinion

National Blackout: Another evidence of FG’s irresponsibility

Safiu Kehinde

Things kept changing as the country’s dwindling fate continues. The endless row of vehicles and kegs has drastically reduced following weeks of fuel scarcity that left millions of Nigeria at the mercy of hyperinflated black market. While still gradually recovering from the turmoil of overcrowded fuelling station, we, yet again, landed in a drastic blackout with loads of frustrating reasons tendered to back another national shame and ridicule. Now we have packed our burden of struggle from  fuelling stations to sockets and extensions found in anywhere powered by generating sets.

Photocredit: Akibu Nurudeen

It all started on Tuesday, this week, when the news of a national power grid crash spread like wildfire. The grid, which houses 3,867 Megawatts circulated across the country, lost about 1,100 Megawatts at the initial moment it started crashing. All eleven distribution companies that cut across every states in the country were affected- including Eko Distribution Company (EKEDC) and Ikeja Distribution Company (IKEDC). Meanwhile, the Federal Government, through the Minister of Power, Abubakar Aliyu, claimed to have resolved the power outage as at yesterday. Their claim appeared to have a very little iota of truth as we experienced a “flash” of electricity earlier today. The FG would further  proceed  to shift the power outage blame on pipeline vandalization and grid collapse rather than holding themselves accountable for placing the sustenance and survival of over 200 millions citizens on a mere 3,867 Megawatts of power which is far below average.

According to the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Nigeria has the potential of 12,522 megawatts of electric power, considering the country’s boast of large oil, gas, hydro, and solar powers. But we have only been able to place the saddle of the country’s development on the hand of a power grid generating less than 4,000 megawatts. We have so much underutilized our potentials across every sectors including the power sector which has been privatized all on the account of government’s lack of innovation and disappointment.

Prior to the Covid-19 Pandemic, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission launched a beautiful castle in the air when they made a projection of 40,000 Megawatts generating capacity by 2020 with a sum of $10bn required per annum for 10 years in order to achieve this feat. But like our fluctuating currency, 2022 saw us languishing between 3000MW to 5000MW. Rather than seeing into the affair of our power disaster, the government continued their annual stride of accumulating loans to construct infrastructures which will be operated in high cost due to low power supply.

Within just four days of blackout, the country appeared to have lost its bearing. The hike in price of diesel and aviation fuel has thrown several manufacturing industries and aviation industries off balance. Cost of production is on the increase; airline Operators eyes shutdown, and food scarcity stares every Nigerian citizens in the face.

It is high time the government returned to the drawing board and map out a way out of this storm we find ourselves. This is no time for vain assurance, lamentations, and shifting of blames on situation that a sound and result-oriented policies can change. The government need to admit that they are getting it all wrong and in order to avoid sinking the nation into a put of no recovery, they need a deep scrutiny into the loopholes of every sectors of the country.