NIGERIA’S OTHER COLLAPSING ‘GRIDS’ By Augustine Omilo
“Get-rich-quick syndrome has attained a height that makes corruption a competitive business in the country with people embezzling monies they may never need in their entire lives. Ahmed Idris became Accountant-general of the federation in June 2015. He served for seven on the position (2015-2022) before he was caught in the web of corruption, having been alleged to have embezzled about N80b of tax payer’s money. He was relieved of his appointment. Another chartered accountant, Mr. Anamekwe Nwabuoku took over the assignment in May, 2022. By July of the same year (after 3 months), he was equally alleged to have corruptly enriched himself to the tune of N1.6b. Haba!”
One of the generally accepted dictionary definitions of grid is that it is a network of wires and cables by which sources of power, such as electricity are distributed throughout a country or region. It can also be said to be a network of intersecting parallel lines, whether real or imaginary.
In Nigeria, National grid is normally used in relation to the main source of electricity power distribution to all parts of the country. Any time it malfunctions, the nation gets thrown into darkness. This phenomenon has become especially so since November, 2013 when the federal government privatized the distribution of electricity. From then till date, the national grid has collapsed for more than 140 times.
The frequent collapsing or shutdown of the power source as occurred during the recent strike action by organized labour in June, 2024, no doubts, always lead to the collapse of many infrastructural provisions in the country. Examples include the shutting down of manufacturing concerns and the total exit of many multinational ones from the nation’s industrial space, thereby worsening the unemployment menace in Nigeria. It also introduces higher dimensions of economic hardships on the citizens as they struggle with the challenge of coping with the high inflation rates arising from it.
This economic embarrassment becomes more worrisome when placed side-by-side with other collapsing ‘grids’ in the country. These include ones of education, socials, religion, character and politics amongst others.
Before the arrival of the internet and on-line educational system, many Nigerians studied and acquired education through correspondence. This was the era of establishments such the British institute of Engineering Technology, BIET, Transworld Tutorial College, Rapid Results College (all in London), Exam Success Correspondence college, Yaba, Correspondence and Open Studies Institute COSIT of the University of Lagos and so on. Studious students of these institutions read their books and passed the prescribed examinations from the comfort of their homes. Of course, this was the time electricity supply was stable. People who lived in the cities and engaged in paid employments did their jobs during the day and retired home for studies at night. using electricity power supply.
Those in rural areas without electricity were able to buy kerosene and use lanterns for the same purpose as city dwellers. Skilled labourers and intellectual giants were produced in the country at the time. And these fellows were readily available to take up the challenge of enlisting into the army of personnel required for participation in the nation’s emerging industrial and academic space. Needless to submit here that citizens are constrained today to use only 12 hours of the day for whatever activities they engage in since both electricity supply and kerosene have gone out of the reach of common folks.
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Ostentatious life styles have become the order of the day. Men and women with little incomes seldom live within their means. Activities like burials, marriages, naming and other ceremonies are carried out by many Nigerians with borrowed funds. This irresponsible propensity for social extravagance has led many to avoidable financial liabilities resulting into deadly ailments such as high blood pressure and heart attacks in addition to self-inflicted poverty.
When Karl Mars described religion as the opium of the masses, he probably did not foresee a time when some people in Nigeria would use it in place of employment hard work. Probably due to economic hardship, it is now common to find citizens who would rather close their shops for more than three days a week for religious purposes and still want God’s kind of prosperity.
The character of honesty, integrity, steadfastness and dedication to duty as exhibited by men like Chief Michael Imoudu, Chief M.C.K Ajuluchukwu, Mallam Aminu Kano and others now look foolish before many Nigerians. Get-rich-quick syndrome has attained a height that makes corruption a competitive business in the country, with people embezzling monies they may never need in their entire lives. Ahmed Idris became Accountant-General of the Federation in June 2015. He served for seven on the position (2015-2022) before he was caught in the web of corruption, having been alleged to have embezzled about N80b of tax payer’s money. He was relieved of his appointment. Another chartered accountant, Mr. Anamekwe Nwabuoku took over the assignment in May, 2022. By July of the same year (after 3 months), he was equally alleged to have corruptly enriched himself to the tune of N1.6b. Haba!
The political activities are not faring better. For over 25 years of unbroken democracy, the actors therein have not been able to create distinct ideologies. Instead, defections from one party to the other for selfish reasons have taken the centre stage in the system.
Interestingly, the national grid has bounded wires or walls to help in safeguarding it. In contrast to this, the other ‘grids’ have no limiting boundaries. Therefore, urgent steps must be taken to identify the mode of protection required of them before their imminent final collapse.