Gibbers

IT should be understandable when Nigerians - even those you expect to know and be rational - apply more emotions than rationality in rationalising government policies and actions because governments at various levels appear to also be in short supply of rationality in conceiving those policies and apply deeper irrational emotions in executing them. If not, what is rational in asking Nigerians to pay more for what you are not giving them? Electricity blinked for a few minutes in my house last Thursday after a blackout of more than a month and bill still came. If you excuse my area as an outskirt of the Federal Capital Territory, what does one make of the so-called “heart of the city” like Maitama, Wuse, Wuse 2, Asokoro and even the three-arm zone encasing the seats of power as far as the leaderships of the three arms of government are concerned.

If the heart is asphyxiated as it is now, smallest toes like my neighbourhood and other parts of the country should forget about any transformative flow that could lighten them up. The arrogance of the Minister of Power, Professor Barth Nnaji, on the inevitability of the June 1 deadline for an increase in electricity tariff is enough to make Nigerians puke. The decision of the 36 state governors to join Goodluck Jonathan to transform Nigerians’ blood into revenue in order to have enough to steal is not out of character, only that nobody should become a turn-coat when the bubble eventually bursts. To the eternal shame of the so-called leaders, nothing shocks us again about their lust for more money and the alacrity with which they offer our collective welfare as makeweight in cutting their shady deals with their foreign and local collaborators; probable reason Nigerians appear unperturbed about the coming increase with absolutely nothing on ground to justify such.

In the last 17 months, electricity tariffs had been increased five times without corresponding improvement in service delivery. Millions of Nigerians including yours sincerely would not have bothered about the poor service if the charging system had been commensurate. The pre-paid meter that should have ensured pay-as-you-use, is being hoarded, so that the exploitation unlimited could last their greed. Their argument for the insensate increase reminds one of a certain telecoms firm which bamboozled us for years that per-second billing was not possible. Another came and did the “impossible”. The importuner joined the bandwagon when the “magic was conjured”. Jonathan and his co-travellers are saying further investments in the power sector are impossible until they further squeeze us to please their portmanteau investors. We have simply become the negotiating pawns. The interest of Nigerians that the 1999 Constitution says must be their paramount concern in office makes no meaning again. It is now about the interest of foreign investors who are probably fronting for many of these charlatanic leaders.

Did the common Nigerians make PHCN uninvestable (my neologism) in the first place? Were we responsible for turning it into a carcass that it allegedly is now? Are the common Nigerians the government agencies including Armed Forces owing it billions of naira in service-payment? Why should it take the next one and a half-year to make pre-paid meter available to Nigerians? Making Nigerians pay for the foolishness, avarice and kleptomaniac disposition of our leaders is the quickest way to the revolution that politicians think should only be triggered by electoral fraud. If the end-result of getting political power is to ensure the welfare of Nigerians, those planning to lead a revolution over 2015 elections have an ample opportunity to give us a tip of the iceberg on June 1, by leading us to flood the streets of Nigeria over this day-light robbery. Thankfully, this Occupy Nigeria expedition is well defined since all political leaders are on the same page over the planned increase. It will simply be a battle between the oppressors and the oppressed, in all the states of the federation.