By Philip Agbese<\/p>\n
We are a nation of people that easily forget. We may, however, not be a
\nnation that easily forgive. If it seems we forgive grievous sins of past,
\nserving and future public office holders it is down to the collective
\namnesia that allows those who serially raped the country to get away with
\ntheir crimes. Oftentimes we end up rewarding such persons with greater
\nresponsibilities because we simply cannot recall the enormity of their
\ntransgressions against the rest of us.<\/p>\n
We forget so we endure darkness when the power sectors has gulped billions
\nof dollars without results. We bemoan the high cost of lighting our homes
\nas well as keep gadgets and equipment running irrespective of whether we
\nare on post paid metering, pre-paid extortion or estimated robbery. But we
\nforget that we are now being billed for the overpriced investment in
\nelectricity infrastructure, including the inflated value for components
\nthat were never bought.<\/p>\n
Only recently the Pharaoh of Benin Electricity Distribution Company, Mrs
\nOlufunke Osibodu told Nigerians with glee that we have no right to expect
\nstable electricity for another five years. We have forgotten why but we
\neasily ignored and even immediately forgave the spewing of such poison.
\nAfterall, this was a self styled undertaker of a commercial bank talking so
\nwe may not immediately become alarmed that Osibodu has a mandate to finally
\nkill off a sector that years of theft has not seen off.<\/p>\n
The venue of Osibodu’s dark prophecy is what should trigger the alarm bells
\nfor us. She spoke at the 11th Annual Founder\u2019s Day event of the American
\nUniversity of Nigeria in Yola, which happens to be one of the many
\ninvestments of a former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abukakar. He happens
\nto have been the one that oversaw the privatization exercise, which had
\nrehabilitation of electricity infrastructure before their sale as a mantra
\nthat played so continuously that it sounded worse than a broken record.<\/p>\n
What happened under Atiku Abubakar’s watch set the tone for whatever
\nbrigandage was to follow under subsequent administrations. This of course
\nis not counting any other shady dealings that were explained away as former
\nPresident Olusegun Obasanjo being heavy handed on his over ambitious
\ndeputy.<\/p>\n
The cost of the prevailing darkness stands at about N6.35 trillions.
\nObasanjo’s government in which Atiku Abubakar was basically in charge of
\nthe electricity business reportedly burnt $16bn (N3.52 trn), late President
\nUmaru Musa Yar\u2019Adua, who succeeded that administration spent $5.375bn
\n(N1.183trn) while former President Goodluck Jonathan blew $8.26bn (N1.817
\ntrn). It is instructive that the larger portion of the amount went to the
\nObasanjo\/Atiku era.<\/p>\n
Several parliamentary probes aired on live television later, we all agree
\non one thing. That we have been scammed. The so called investment in the
\npower sector only yielded darkness and the noise power generators competing
\nwith the toxic fumes they release in damaging our health and the
\nenvironment. The depressing testimonies before the various probe panels may
\nmake for sensational television and dramatic headlines but we would have
\nmerely chased shadows or even worse if there are no conclusive reports that
\nwill name those\u00a0 who stole from us.<\/p>\n
Even if we are unable to jail the thieves that stole the money meant for
\ncreating a vibrant power sector, we would at last have reports that will
\nname them and place their names on records. When we have records they would
\nhelp us not to forget ever again what the power sector thieves did to us.
\nWith records there will be something to dust up and show to them whenever
\nany of them try to stage a comeback.<\/p>\n
Having reports that document the way our power sector was mismanaged into
\nthe current disaster would prevent the likes of Osibodu from mounting a
\npodium provided by a key player in the destruction of the electricity
\nsector to hurl insults at Nigerians. She could have used the opportunity at
\nthat event to ask the founder what happened to the over three trillion
\nnaira reportedly spent in his time without result, instead she deemed it
\nmore important to accuse Nigerians of theft when they were the ones that
\nwere robbed and still being robbed.<\/p>\n
The line must therefore be drawn at this latest insult. We must be able to
\ntell those who put us in this mess that we have awoken to an uncanny
\ncapacity for recall, in fact total recall as opposed to the\u00a0 forgetful
\nnation they once knew. We must therefore demand from the present government
\nthat it must dredge up the various reports into the power sector probes.
\nAll the reports must be harmonized with a view to producing a compendium as
\nopposed to having multiple documents. For any other probes whose reports
\nare still outstanding, those working on them should be put under the
\nappropriate pressure to conclude and present their reports.<\/p>\n
The recommendations of those reports \u2013 from since we first having power
\nsector probes – must be implemented to the highest level of compliance
\npossible. Non-implementation of the reports would amount to Nigerians
\nlosing multiple times. We lost money from the public treasury, we lost more
\nwhen we continue to subsidize darkness in our homes, we lost emotionally
\nfrom the trauma we experienced watching and reading about those probes\u00a0 and
\nwe will lose again if those behind these thefts are not called to account
\nfor their crimes.<\/p>\n
It is for this reason we must dispense with the meekness with which we had
\nexpected successive administration to be self propelling in dealing with
\nthe power sector thieves. Recent history teaches us the government would be
\nperpetually bogged down by political considerations. The solution is to
\ncoalesce into groups, network as individuals or groups, or amalgamate
\nexisting groups into a critical mass that will march on the government of
\nthe day to take action. Our demands is simple. It is to ask a question.
\nWhere are the various power probe reports?<\/p>\n
Agbese writes from the United Kingdom.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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