National power supply totally derailed

Professor Zulum symbolizes the typical Nigerian in power who does “not want to hear the truth”. When he unilaterally granted amnesty to “repentant” 30,000 (or was it 300,000) Boko Haram terrorists, without consultations with the Federal Government, some of us warned him that he was endangering the lives of Nigerians, not only in Borno State, but in the entire country as well.

Deception remains an abiding element in warfare. The Governor was duped; and nothing proves this better than the recent assault on military installations and civilian settlements in the state by hoodlums killing hundreds of people in the armed forces and civilians. Zulum exhibits no remorse; because all Nigerians in transient positions of authority never admit grievous errors of judgement which unleash lasting damages on the nation.

The power disaster wreaking havoc on the economy and the lives of Nigerians did not occur by accident. All Nigerian Presidents since 1999 contributed to what a national newspaper called “a cruel national joke”. Presidents were not alone in bringing us to the brink of almost total collapse of the power sector. Every Senator and Member of the Federal House of Representatives, Minister of Power, Information and Special Adviser (Media) joined in the conspiracy of falsehood paving the way to the hell in which we find our country; without any hope of salvation. Perhaps, on no single matter is despair so pervasive and hope lost as on power

Catalogue of unredeemed promises

Politician) promises are like [cream crackers] are made to be broken.”

Jonathan Swift, 1667-1745, VANGUARD BOOK OF QUOTATIONS,  VBQ p 203.

Late Chief Bola Ige, President Obasanjo’s first Minister of Power and Steel, set the ball of deceit rolling in 1999; when he glibly announced that “power failure will be a thing of the past in six months”. All efforts to correct him were resisted. He was removed two and half years after. Nothing achieved. 

Engineer Lyel Imoke succeeded Ige; and he delivered his own promise: 10,000MW per day would be delivered by 2007. To help that government illusion along, President Obasanjo requested for $13-16 billion (Obasanjo actually took the money before asking for NASS approval). When Obasanjo departed reluctantly in 2007, maximum power supply per day was under 3,500MW.

Jonathan mounted the saddle; and the last promise was made by Professor Nnaji – 14,000MW before 2015. On May 29, 2015, when the baton of leadership was handed to Buhari, power supply was 3,600MW; maximum supply under GOJ was 4,100MW.

On the same day, Buhari declared that “4,000MW power supply per day is unacceptable”; raising hopes that significant improvement would follow. On May 29, 2023, Buhari, not only handed Tinubu “an economy on the brink of collapse”, power supply that day was 3,980MW. Eight years absolutely wasted.

Tinubu entered with a definite commitment

Power crisis worsens as generation drops 11% to 2,898 MW – VANGUARD, March 6, 2026.

President Tinubu was so sure of making a significant improvement on the power supply that he actually told Nigerians that if he failed to turn around the situation in three years, Nigerians should not vote for him again. That statement might come to haunt him for reasons which will be touched upon later. Certainly, with only two and half months left in his third year, only a miracle can save him from serious embarrassment

The VANGUARD report also informed Nigerians that “NISO (Nigerian Independent System Operator) blames poor gas supply.” Only God knows how many times the citizenry of this gas-abundant nation have been offered that lame excuse in the last forty years. Instead of abating, power supply crisis in Nigeria has degenerated into an evolving disaster – which will eventually destroy the country. The truth is: energy is the foremost binding constraint on everything – economy, health transportation, education, health and every aspect of social welfare. Every single government, since the 1980s, has failed woefully in delivering on its promises on power supply and contributed its quota to our relative backwardness. Nothing basically has changed.

The same mind-set prevails. Appointment as Minister of Power frequently becomes an invitation to “come and eat” – as one of Obasanjo’s Ministers described what, in the rapidly developing nations, would be regarded as a call to serve at the highest levels of society. Presidents make appointments for political reasons; and seldom bother about the performance of their appointees. Three examples illustrate the point

A (government) is known by the people it (appoints and) keeps.”

A corruption case is currently winding its dreary way through the courts. It is about a power contract which was awarded, by a Minister of State, during Obasanjo’s second term for reportedly $6 billion. The former president disclaimed approval, some Federal Executive Council, FEC, members support their former boss. Surprisingly, three former Ministers, who should have been involved in a honest process have never spoken a word. The Ministers of Finance, Justice and the senior Minister for Power have remained silent.

Is this how to run a government?

One of Buhari’s former Ministers of Power is in another court for monumental embezzlement of public funds entrusted to him. Buhari did not sack him or prosecute him for religious and ethnic reasons. Again, is this the way to run a government?

Tinubu’s Minister for Power reportedly has resigned in order to contest for Governor of Oyo State. I have lived in Ibadan since 1984; when I was appointed Marketing Manager of Standard Breweries, Alomaja. Oyo State will be most unfortunate, if  the Minister of Power rules us from 2027. Adelabu succeeded Ministers, from various governments, who chastised Nigerians with whips.  Adelabu has been chastising Nigerian power consumers with scorpions. Under him, customers of Distribution Companies, DISCOs, have experienced the most rapid acceleration of tariffs; simultaneously with the most rapid decline in power supply ever in Nigerian history.

March 8, 2026; when all Gen sets went silent

“There are no desperate situations; only desperate men” – Joseph Goebbels, 1897-1945, Hitler’s propaganda Chief.

Powerless Nigerians are desperate. I work in Lagos and reside, mostly, in Ibadan. That makes me a legalised victim, not a customer of two DISCOs – IBEDC and EKEDC. Legalised victim because in every other sector of commercial life, the seller must prove that he supplied the products for which claims are being made. In Nigeria, DISCOs are permitted by the FG to present bills and demand to be paid. On March 8, 2026, in my two communities at Ibadan and Lagos, all the gen sets were silent during the night for the first time. There was no meeting; no consultations. Everybody had discovered that the cost of fuelling gen sets had become unsustainable. Darkness has descended; hope is gone…

To be continued…