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REASONS NIGERIA ELECTRICITY REGULATORY COMMISSION AND ELECTRICITY DISTRIBUTION COMPANIES MUST SUSPEND HIKE IN ELECTRICITY TARIFF.

REASONS NIGERIA ELECTRICITY REGULATORY COMMISSION AND ELECTRICITY DISTRIBUTION COMPANIES MUST SUSPEND HIKE IN ELECTRICITY TARIFF                                                                                                                 

 

The Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC, in conjunction with Electricity Distribution Companies in Nigeria, popularly called DISCOS, introduced a 45% hike in electricity tariff with effect from February 1, 2016. The argument of NERC and DISCOS  for this  latest outrageous hike in electricity tariff is that it would bring about enhancement in service delivery and customers' satisfaction. However, this reason advanced by NERC and DISCOS does not hold water in view of the fact that past increases in electricity tariff never brought about corresponding increase in quantity of power supply in Nigeria, enhancement in service delivery and customers' satisfaction.

Whatever reasons NERC and DISCOS have for the current hike in electricity tariff, the reality on ground remains that it is a wrong step at the wrong time and should not have come in the first place. Here are reasons NERC DISCOS must suspend the latest anti-people and outrageous 45% hike in electricity tariff.

The latest hike in electricity tariff by electricity regulators in Nigeria is an unlawful act and tantamounts to a contempt of court order. Justice Mohammed Idris of the Federal High Court, Lagos, had on May 28, 2015 directed NERC to suspend all actions relating to any increment in electricity tariff pending the hearing and final determination of a suit filed by a lawyer on the matter. That NERC has gone ahead to increase electricity tariff in face of a pending suit on the matter is the height of disobedience against the law of Nigeria.

 

Currently, electricity distributions companies have not metered millions of electricity consumers in Nigeria. They overbill consumers indiscriminately without relying on electricity meters. Nigerians are already over-paying DISCOS for electricity in the country. The issue of hike in power tariff should only become a matter of discussion and perhaps, consideration when electricity supply improves and consumers metered.

Nigeria is perhaps, the only country in the world where consumers pay for services not delivered and enjoyed. The challenge of power generation and supply in Nigeria has been with us for decades. The reality is that there has never been any time since independence of Nigeria in 1960, when Nigerians enjoyed sufficient and uninterrupted electricity supply. Many Nigerians have paid  electricity authorities in the country for supplying them darkness and this should not be allowed to continue.

Many Nigerians are already facing serious financial challenges and find it difficult to meet their basic needs as a result of the dwindling economic fortune of their country in the face of drastic fall in price of crude oil, their country's mainstay. Thousands are losing  jobs and the purchasing power of millions of Nigerians have been reduced drastically as a result of continued decline in the value of Nigerian Naira vis-a-vis major international currencies. Obviously, ordinary Nigerians cannot afford any hike in electricity tariff now. This is not the best of times economically for millions of poor Nigerians.

Nigeria is a country where the government takes its citizens for granted by not consulting them before embarking on actions and policies that affect the them. The Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission and Electricity Distribution Companies did not consult widely with Nigerians, with a view to carrying them along and obtaining their consent before effecting  the current outrageous hike in electricity tariff.

Poor power supply is one of the key reasons the industrial/manufacturing sector in Nigeria remains comatose. This latest increase in electricity tariff, if not reversed by the government would only succeed in further killing industrial sector in Nigeria by stifling industries that are already spending humongous amounts of money  buying diesel and other petroleum products for production and take away what could have remained as their profits. The ultimate consequence of this would be shut down of several production outfits in the country, more job losses for Nigerians and increase rate in crime and other social vices in the land.

Every free market economy should be regulated by the forces of demand and supply. The former Power Holding Company of Nigeria was privatised by the Federal Government of Nigeria in 2013. Power distribution in the country has been in the hands of private distribution companies popularly known as DISCOS. The various DISCOS in Nigeria should provide sufficient electricity supply for consumers. Power generation and distribution in Nigeria now hovers between 4500 and 5000 megawatts. This is grossly inadequate for millions of private, commercial and industrial  consumers in Nigeria. It therefore makes no logical sense that electricity tariff is being increase in Nigeria when supply is still very low. Nigerians CANNOT afford to pay more for a service in short supply to them and almost out of reach from many.

The Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission and  DISCOS cannot be said to be acting in isolation from the government of Nigeria in this latest outrageous increase in electricity tariff. To lend credence to this view, reacting to the mass nation-wide protests by the Nigerian Labour Congress as a result of the hike in electricity tariff, the Nigerian Minister of Power, Babatunde Fashola  describes latest increase in electricity tariff as ''a painful pill Nigerians MUST (emphasis mine) swallow''. It is therefore obvious that the federal government of Nigeria is behind this inhuman, unlawful and anti-masses hike in electricity price to further strangulate millions of Nigerians who are already maligned economically and further impoverished them. While looking for alternative  ways and avenues to generate revenue for the country as a result of the fall in the fall of crude oil, the federal government of Nigeria MUST be careful not to create more problems and destroy the country's economy further. Government is about the people and should therefore, listen to the people. The people of Nigeria say no to hike in electricity tariff and the government MUST listen and act in the interest of its citizens whom it claims to represent. Poor Nigerians should not be made to pay for decades of corruption and sins of the so-called 'ruling class' in Nigeria that have brought the country to the sorry and appalling state she finds herself in every aspect of her life today. 

I take responsibility for any errors that may be found in this article.

Frank, Chukwuka Osimi.

Lagos Nigeria.

EDITORIAL VIEW: DWINDLING FORTUNE OF CRUDE OIL AND THE FUTURE OF NIGERIAN ECONOMY.

The drastic fall in the price of crude oil has affected and continues to affect the Nigerian economy adversely. Nigeria's revenue based has dropped astronomically with over 50% in the last one  year as a result of unprecedented fall in the price of crude oil, her mainstay. As expected,  this has untold negative consequences for her economy.

It is high time the government of Nigeria realized that oil is gradually losing value as a major foreign exchange earner for countries that do depend on it  for survival and prosperity of their economies, and by extension their citizens.

A number of factors are working together against the fortune of crude in the international market.  The refusal of OPEC countries to cut production quota, the recent discovery of crude oil in commercial quantity  by some nations that were not hitherto oil producing nations; the near attainment of energy independence by the United States of America, which has led to huge reduction in its oil import and the inventions of automobiles and other machinery that use batteries and other sources of energy, instead of petroleum products, amongst others, are some of the factors that have continued to push down the prices of crude oil in the global market.

Succesive governments of Nigeria have refused to inject billions of US Dollars earned from sales of crude oil in the past five decades into the economy with a view to diversifying it. The humongous amount of money realized from sales of crude oil was stolen by past Nigerian government officials while a greater part of it was spent on importation of consumer goods instead of using it as a catalyst for developing other aspects of the economy.

The current sorry and appalling state of Nigerian economy is an aftermath of years of over-dependence on crude oil, refusal/failure of Nigerian government to diversify the economy and fix power and infrastructure; and corruption/decay in the system.

Now is the time for Nigeria to begin to shift attention from crude oil as a major source of foreign exchange earner and consciously begin to develop other aspects of her economy: agriculture, industrialization/manufacturing, tourism, energy/power, services and more. There is also the urgent need for Nigeria to adopt true or fiscal federalism, with a view to empowering state state and local government in the country with the constitutional and legal power to tap and apply economic resources in their domains for economic development. Every tier of government in Nigeria must become economically productive. The practice of 'sharing and consumption' federalism between the Federal government of Nigeria and its component parts must stop. Above all, corruption among Nigerian government officials must be brought to an end and the country's resources must be managed with prudence and used for overall economic development of the country. This is the only way to secure an economically stable and prosperous future for Nigeria and Nigerians.

I take responsibility for any errors that may be found in this editorial.
Frank, Chukwuka Osimi.
Lagos Nigeria.

SIGNIFICANCE OF SUPRME COURT JUDGEMENT ON RIVERS, AKWA IBOM, ABIA AND EBONYI GOVERNORSHIP ELECTION TUSSLES.

SIGNIFICANCE OF SUPREME COURT JUDGEMENT ON RIVERS, AKWA IBOM, ABIA AND EBONYI GOVERNORSHIP ELECTION TUSSLES

 

The recent judgement of Supreme Court of Nigeria that upheld the earlier annulled governorship elections of the serving Peoples Democratic Governors of Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Abia and Ebonyi states in Nigeria, is significant in many ways, as demonstrated below in this article.

By this judgement, the Supreme Court of Nigeria has amply demonstrated that it is indeed, supreme. The Supreme Court of Nigeria is the highest arbiter of justice in the land. Its ruling on any matter is final and should be taken by all contending parties in good faith. Though mixed reactions continue to trail the judgement of the Supreme Court, along party  lines, the reality remains that, by the judgement, the tussles for governorship of the states, have been laid to rest. All parties involved in litigations are therefore expected to abide by the ruling of the highest court in the land and allow peace to reign.

Before the judgement of the Supreme Court in favour of the Peoples Democratic Party in the four states mentioned above, it was alleged by the Peoples Democratic Party that President Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria, was  controlling and intimidating the Nigerian judiciary through agencies of the federal government as the Nigerian Police Force and the the Directorate of State Services, the DSS, to maneuver election cases in the affected states, especially in the oil rich Rivers and Akwa Ibom, in favour of his party, the All Progressive Congress (APC). It is not for Objective Writers and Analysts to affirm or deny that President Buhari attempted to maneuver the judiciary to do his bidding in Rivers and Akwa Ibom states. However, it is very significant that the Supreme Court ruling did not come in favour of the APC as that would have confirmed PDP's allegations that Buhari was dictating to the judiciary.

For many Nigerians, the recent ruling by the Supreme Court regarding Rivers and Akwa Ibom governorship elections in particular, is neither a victory for the PDP or the APC. Rather, it is a victory for peace and democracy. It is the position of  Objective Writers and Analysts that electoral violence and possibly deaths of some innocent Nigerians, would have occurred again had the Supreme Court annulled Rivers and Akwa Ibom elections and called for fresh elections in the two states. More so, by the ruling, the Supreme Court has saved Nigeria huge financial and material resources that would have been deployed in conducting fresh elections in the affected states.

The battles for the governorship seats in Rivers and Akwa Ibom states were more fierce than those in Ebonyi and Abia. The obvious reason for this is because of the oil wealth of Rivers and Akwa Ibom,  and this line of thought becomes more logical when one takes into consideration that Nigerian politics is more about looting state resources for personal aggrandizement of 'political leaders' that occupy various positions, rather than use of state resources to cater for security and welfare of citizens.

With the judgement of the Supreme Court, it could be said that the governors of Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Ebonyi and Abia states; now have a sigh of relief from judicial litigations by their former challengers for the governorship seats in their seats. What matters now is for the governors of these four states to provide good, quality and selfless leadership and render dividends of democracy to citizens in their states. The ruling of the Supreme Court in their favour MUST not be taken for granted. They must shun arrogance in victory and carry everybody in their states, irrespective of party inclination, along for the development of their states. It is hoped that  oppositions in these states would provide good, quality and vibrant opposition to put   the governors on their toes and remain on track for the benefits of their citizens.

I take responsibility for any errors that may be found in this article.                                               Frank, Chukwuka Osimi.
Lagos Nigeria.

DEATH DAZAN MAUTIN CHARITY: AN INDICTMENT ON NIGERIAN PUBLIC HEALTH ADMINISTRATION.

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DEATH OF DAZAN MAUTIN CHARITY OF YABA TECH: AN INDICTMENT ON NIGERIAN PUBLIC HEALTH ADMINISTRATION.

Late Miss Dazan Mautin Charity was a Higher National Diploma Student of Yaba College of Technology, Yaba Lagos, studying Office Technology, Bilingual (French). She was  a final year student of the institution taking her final year exam and was to conclude same on Monday 15 February, 2016, but sadly the hands of death took her away on Wednesday 10 February 2016, at about 12am.

Late Dazan Mautin Charity was rushed to Yaba Medical Centre by a student of Yaba Tech, Olamide, but she was not given medical attention by medical staff  there. Students of Yaba Tech have blamed the death of their colleague on negligence on the part of medical staff of Yaba Medical Centre, maintaining that she would have made it if she had been accorded swift medical attention.

A student of Yaba Tech, Olamide, who rushed late Dazan Mautin to the health centre, narrates how she died. According to him: ''We rushed her to the medical centre by 12 noon yesterday (Tuesday 9/02/2016). They told us there was no bed space and we waited for four hours before drugs were given her''.

Olamide further said though a doctor instructed that Dazan be admitted, a nurse sent them away, only for her case to worsen when they reached the hostel. On returning to the Yaba Medical  Centre at 10pm Tuesday, they were referred to the Federal Medical Centre, Ebute-Meta Lagos, where they were made to deposit N35, 000 before treatment could begin. Sadly, Dazan gave up the ghost at about 12am Wednesday 10/02/2016.

The unfortunate death of Dazan Mautin in her prime as result of negligence and callousness on the part of medical staff of Yaba Medical Centre, where she was first rushed to, is an indictment on Nigerian public health administration and administrators. Her case is one too many. For me, there is no doubt that she could have made it if she was given swift medical attention at Yaba Medical Centre when she was first rushed there; though some may not agree to this.

Dazan Mautin's death underscores the failure of public health sector in Nigeria and lack of value for the sanctity of human life in our clime. There is no doubt that swift and adequate attention would have been accorded her if she was daughter or relative of one of our so-called 'political leaders' in the country. This further brings to the front burner the lack of value attached to the lives of commoners in Nigeria.

The federal government of Nigeria, state and local governments and all stakeholders involved in health administration and management in the country, MUST, as a matter of urgency take the bull by the horn by  putting in place the relevant measures at saving lives of Nigerians in any part of the country, no matter the social, political or economic status persons involved.

The authority of Yaba Tech and the Federal Government of Nigeria should pay a financial compensation to the family of late Dazan Mautin. May her soul rest in peace in the bosom of God Almighty, amen.