As the country gets deeper in this administration, the real meaning of “change” politically begins to unravel day by day. Suddenly everything got so hard to move, salaries are not paid, Dollar hikes like an eye blinking continuously, we can’t even beat up our chest about our petroleum revenue anymore, speculations of having 50 Naira being deducted from our account after we might have paid our taxes as workers and now we might just not have electricity in the country anymore.
There seems to be no rationality in all of this tariff Ibbie-jabba talk at all. Because often times one can question the priority of the present administration. Report has it that some corporate organisation called National Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) sat down to review the current situation of electricity in the country and found out that the dream of generating 15,000mw is not realistic, but the money given to generate it back in 2008 was realistic at that time yet we have not heard the reason why it did not work after the target was made.
Now, they resolved to 5,000mw as the new target under a new tariff. let us all calculate this; if there was a target of 15,000 mw as at 2008 without an adjustment in the tariff, why is there an adjustment when it is now just a target of 5,000 mw. Of course they will say it is because of the current financial constraint in the country and we should ask again; The money they are collecting from the looters what do they intend to do with it? I just hope it will not be put in a show-glass like a trophy. If the money they claim they are getting back is as much as they say it is, then that money should start doing something.
If the money in question begins to pay up workers and civil servant’s salaries then people can start to feel they need light to use but, if they are hungry and there is a misplacement of priority whereby the new administration is talking about adjusting the electricity tariff, not only will they not be able to generate 5,000mw they will not be able to generate anything at all.
The Benin Electricity Distribution Company and others now distribute bills like tax workers and the most unpalatable thing about this is that after they knock on the gate and get no response, they barge into the compound without introducing themselves or flashing an ID for identification, the have the same approach of an armed robber only their arm is a bill. Presently, certain places not only in Ondo State has no regular power supply. We are now used to fueling our generators and a plea to the federal government, Biko, if this country is going to increase the tariff before paying salaries then they shounldn’t stop the importation of generators yet since they have been merciful enough to reduce the petrol price for now till they wake up angry again tomorrow.
The new administration must try to define priority if it will succeed with anything at all, because that is the pivot on which it all can stand together. lack of proper organisation of ideas still will result to a crumble of efforts to build. The reason for the tariff they say is to attract investors, when we are yet to attract a good life and government for ourselves. The same investors will come and we will not be able to patronize them, only the rich and mighty will be able to and that again will question the “change” this administration wants to imbibe.
