19-10-2024.

Whenever the National Grid collapses or there is a problem associated with the supply of electricity in the country, it is always the Minister of Power who gets the blame, and nobody else. But this should not always be the case, because Nigerians ‘elected’ the President of the country and not the minister. The minister is only a disposable employee of the President. 

As I write this article, it was reported that the grid had been repaired causing some people to be jubilant for something that should not be happening frequently. The latest collapse of the National Grid is simply one collapse too many in the country of close to 230 million people. The darkness brings in the irritating and often dangerous mosquitoes in the nights, which may be the reason for the high number of malaria cases and patients in Nigeria.

Public ire, anger and frustration should therefore be directed to the President not (always) to the minister of whatever ministry, if the problem was not caused by his deliberate action or inaction concerning it. It does not happen that way in Nigeria, and because people want to stick to their jobs at all costs, they prefer to take the rap and shield the person who should otherwise be blamed for the persistence of the problem.

For the eighth time in 2024, the National Grid has experienced collapse, with the latest happening on Saturday 19th October 2024. Yet, only the head of the Minister of Power is being called for, but not that of the person on whose table the buck stops. Mr. President should be held accountable since he controls the country’s funds.

Even the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) believes that there were too many incidents of disturbances on the National Grid and the resulting power outages experienced in the country. It announced on its X handle today (Saturday) of plans to conduct a public investigative hearing to find out the remote and immediate causes of the frequent collapse of the National Grid.

The country is currently running on auto pilot, without its two highest office holders: President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his Vice, Senator Kashim Shettima. While the President is said to be in the UK on a two-week ‘working’ holiday, his Vice is on a three-day official visit to the European country of Sweden. It is such a tragedy, akin to the alleged burning of the Roman Empire while the unconcerned emperor fiddled.

What is impossible in other climes is not only possible, but repeated done with impunity in Nigeria, by its leaders, whether ‘elected’ or unelected. Majority of the citizens only grin and bear, despite the pains caused to it by the self serving attitude of the so called leaders.

The hardship in the country that neither knows nor respects gender, as both sexes are feeling its vice-grip like bite. Some four women were shown on a television programme discussing their experiences and those of their neighbours, and none was pleasing to the ears. They all narrated how terrible the situation was for most people in Lagos, the commercial capital of the Nigeria.

In fact, the middle class is completely wiped out in the country, because the owner of a few millions of naira is not a rich person in Nigeria, as the money is not sufficient to get a small household a long way to go. The country is supposed to be so rich in mineral resources that could see all its citizens in abundance, not suffering from the abject existence that is their lot at the moment.

Relationship is severely affected by the severe, dire and difficult situation most Nigerians go through daily, as phone calls and or text messages are not answered or replied because of the apprehension that the other party might ask for a financial or any kind of assistance that the receiver is in no position to offer.

The economic situation in the country is so pathetic for the citizens and so appalling for the nation that some civilians would openly call on the military to truncate the democratic process and take over from the present civilian administration, which has so far failed the people and their expectations woefully.

The incident was reported to have happened in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, where the can-do-spirt of the people led some youths to block some military vehicles, calling on them to stage a coup and take over the governance of the country from the civilians. The only time known to this writer, for such a scenario to openly unfold in the country.

Corruption, which has not begun during the present administration, has taken a new definition at the moment, with only the leadership that has now no worries in the world except that of where to keep the illegally acquired wealth its members keep on amassing like there is no ‘tomorrow’. 

May God give us only that which we can be able to successfully defend ourselves before Him in the next world.

Malam Malumfashi wrote from Abuja.