The troubling headwinds from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s presidency and the Director-General of the Energy Commission of Nigeria, Mustapha Abdullahi, that N10 billion naira has been approved for a solar grid in Aso Rock are convulsing and traumatizing — to say the least — while the nation remains in absolute darkness.
According to Mustapha Abdullahi, Director-General of the Energy Commission of Nigeria, the move aims to reduce the villa’s unsustainable power bill of N47 billion naira yearly. President Bola Tinubu has approved N10 billion naira for the solar power grid project.
It’s clear that the federal government’s decision to install solar panels at the Aso Rock Villa while the entire nation is enveloped in dehumanizing darkness should ordinarily sink Tinubu’s reckless administration that is built on impunity and cruelty.
Tinubu has been celebrating the feat by giving himself uninterrupted energy, claiming that the solar power project will cut costs and guarantee his comfort and that of other officials of the presidency. He sang discordant tunes that the move aligns with his agenda to diversify energy sources and reduce reliance on the national grid, without telling the people how he hopes to achieve that.
Was it verily a mere soundbite when President Tinubu said in 2023 that “if I don’t give you constant electricity for 4 years, don’t vote for me when I come back for a second term” in 2027? Is it that such a promise to the electorates was made with the intention to deceive gullible Nigerians who have suffered a scorched-earth gambit from the successive governments?
If President Tinubu was not in power for self-aggrandizement with his entitlement mentality, he should have prioritized fixing the national power grid rather than insulating himself from the crisis. The decision to solely have himself immune from the electric power supply debacle while the nation is in total darkness has further exacerbated energy apartheid — where the privileged few secure constant, clean energy while the majority remains trapped in a system that exploits 99% of citizens for providing darkness.
To be sure, the N10 billion naira allocation for the solar power project is viewed as a deliberate on-your-face insult when many Nigerians struggle with unreliable power and exorbitant electricity tariffs, yet remain in darkness. By this singular action, Tinubu has told Nigerians that Nigeria’s power sector is facing significant challenges, including a dilapidated grid system, gas shortages, and fraudulent practices by distribution companies and that this ugly state of affairs can continue for all he cares. To make matters worse, the President is not hazarding thoughts on how the country will develop the vast renewable energy potential, which could be harnessed to improve power supply and reduce costs.
Without mincing words, President Tinubu has knowingly thrown Nigerians under the bus. For the record, The Nigerian Federal Government’s stake in the power sector has evolved significantly since the days of the National Electric Power Authority (NEPA). After NEPA’s privatization, the government retained ownership of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), which is responsible for managing the country’s transmission system.
Here’s a breakdown of the government’s current stake:
The federal government retains full ownership of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), which operates, maintains, and expands the 132kV and 330kV transmission system. The government also has privatized six generation companies (Gencos), and the government has privatized 11 distribution companies (Discos), with varying ownership structures.
Strictly speaking, the Nigerian government’s stake in Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC), for instance, is 40%, with the four states it serves (Delta, Edo, Ekiti, and Ondo) holding 34.2% of that 40%. This translates to the states having a 13.68% collective stake (34.2% of 40%) and the federal government having a 13% stake (since nationally, all states have 27% of the 40% government share, and the federal government has the remaining portion).
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s reductive self-love with the N10b solar power grid project and the abdication of his contractual obligation to provide constant and stable electricity he promised during his electioneering campaign, is a grave damage to his already tottering government. I just hope that the president leaves behind a legacy of profound and prescient achievements before 2027.
Erasmus Ikhide contributed this piece via: ikhideluckyerasmus@gmail.com
