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Much Ado about N.E.P.A.
X is a principal officer with the Nigeria Electric Power Authority (NEPA), he was at his bank for some transaction recently. Ordinarily, such transactions last minutes, not that day. Despite the banks explanation that the delay resulted from power outage, X would have nothing to do with the bank. According to him, the bank is too slow. Someone should tell your management to restructure along lines likely to produce rapid response. He closed his account, doing so with abuses to staffers of the bank.
The observation was stunning, the bank officers immediately following the power outage, took steps to revert to their independent power source. In all, about 5 minutes was lost to the change of power source. X would rather have none of it.
Y is father to a child (a daughter). Together with O, his wife, they run a prospering poultry business. Their child suddenly developed some strange aliment requiring immediate medical attention. They feared she was going to die. Haven discussed the issue, the family decided to take some money from their business to attend to their child's aliment. Y immediately went for the money, on his way back he ran into some old friends who promised to return a 40% interest on the money if given, the friends also undertook to return it in a week thereafter. Strangely, Y gave out the money to his friends for the period.
Two days thereafter, the aliment developed into permanent obvious deformities. Doctors were of the opinion that had the child received medical attention two days earlier, the situation would have been well handled.
In 1999, the writer had need to board a commercial vehicle going to the Edo State capital, no sooner had journey began than the promised "stone to bread", became an issue. The view then was, at last Obasanjo has discovered the remedy to power outages. It was also noted that the stone changer was himself a failed presidential aspirant who could probably use the good office entrusted to him to deliver the goods and enhance his presidential aspiration. The lone voice/writer, opposed the views on grounds then that stone changer had little (if any) relevant knowledge to perform in that Ministry, and also that he has no recent knowledge on the working of bureaucracies.
One co-traveler took upon himself the responsibility of lecturing (as it were) on the (many) achievements of the stone changer whilst he was in office as chief executive of Oyo State. When reminded that many (if not all) of the so-called achievement, were failed projects. Emotions ran bitter at that point. The need to employ caution became evident. Whereas the occupant of the Edo bound vehicle were that emotional about the stone changer, the federal government was even more. His budget for immediate rehabilitation NEPA equipment was passed without a review.
One should have expected the stone changer to properly apply the funds to purposes for which it was meant; and timely too. Unfortunately, like Y the Authority and Ministry would rather transfer the money from one bank to another, with interest gathering as motive. But for the Eagle eyes of the Senate, no one would ever have discovered that the funds became subject of profiteering and interest gathering, for upwards of half a year, before it was properly applied (if ever it ever so applied).
Also disturbing were moves (during the tenure of the stone changer) to frustrate the desires of the Lagos State Government to put in place an alternative power supply venture in the former federal capital. It was not long thereafter, that it was evident that the wrong person was in that office. But for the Tinubu's initiative, power supply to the Lagos territory would probably be nonexistence.
The impact of the huge resources expended on the Authority, are yet to be felt in any part of the country. Never mind the stone changing promise. Rather, stories now abound of how Eastern Nigeria and Kogi State had to and are contending with power outages for weeks, and how presently, Ojokoro, in the lfako-ljaiye and Alimosho Local Government Areas of Lagos state now live without electric power supply for two months. And you can bet, there are several other communities with the same problem.
Whereas, one will not be calling for the heads of those in charge of the Ministry, and/or NEPA, one will however be calling on the authority to develop a rapid responses approach to power outage\voltages problem. It is unfortunate that instead of addressing these problems squarely, the authority finds it convenient to subject its' funds to trading, profiteering and\or interest gathering processes. Not withstanding the fact that Nigerians are suffering. If it is the fact that NEPA can no longer cope with the responsibilities of making electricity available to Nigerians, (as is clearly obvious), it should be nice enough to advice government accordingly. It may also elect to invite partners in the mould of the Tinubu's initiative to assist it perform its responsibility.
It should be clear by now; that power generation and distribution is not an all comers affair. Steps should therefore be taking to guard against making it such. Finally, Ojokoro deserves electricity. Those concerned should be alive to their responsibilities, or do well to vacate the office for competent hands. Just as X advised above, someone should tell NEPA management to restructure along lines likely to produce rapid response.