Dear Mr. President,
Do forgive me for barging in on you with this
letter while you are preparing for your
election. This is the only way I am sure I can
reach you most effectively. This is not
meant to embarrass or distract you, rather
the situation warrants that I let my
President know my plight, and that of many
Nigerians. After all, Americans have easy
access to President Barack Obama.
It’s to do with electricity. But you might be
wondering why I should write you directly on
this when you have a Minister of Power, and
even a Chairman of the Nigerian Electricity
Regulatory Commission. But I am sorry to
say, if they do exist, Nigerians whom you and
they swore to serve have not felt their
impact on this matter. In any case, I have
written to them several times as well as
those written by other people, including
opinions by reputable newspapers, not leaving
out countless peaceful protests by Nigerians
to the distribution companies (discos), to the
extent that a public affairs commentator
proposed a revolution as the only solution to
this problem.
Though it might not matter any longer, I will
still go ahead to say it. I feel there are
areas that should never be privatised in
Nigeria. And one of them is the power sector.
The power sector is too critical to be left in
the hands of capitalists. Capitalists are like
doctors who sell coffins. Electricity is the
oxygen of the economy. Unlike government,
capitalists have only three things in mind:
Profit, profit, and profit. Only competition
puts them in check. Unfortunately, the power
sector as it is today is a quasi-monopoly.
Unlike the telecoms sector, electricity
consumers cannot change their electricity
suppliers.
Still, Nigerians appreciate the efforts you
have put into the power sector reforms so
far. Nigerians recognise that it will take
time to reach the desired level. But one thing
Nigerians cannot take is the injustice,
avarice and inefficiency that have bedevilled
the sector since it was privatised.
Before the privatisation, my electricity bill as
estimated by the old Power Holding Company
of Nigeria, Abule Egba business unit in Lagos,
because I have yet to be given a prepaid
meter, used to be about N2,300 per month.
After the privatisation, and the Ikeja
Electricity Distribution Company took over,
the bill became N6,000. After the tariff
was “increased” with the so-called MYTO II,
it became N13,000. This was given to me
for three months. And without any further
increase in tariff, that for February is now
N18,000! Our minimum wage! It is laughable,
if it were it not so grave.
There are those who have prepaid meters in
Lagos who use air-conditioning systems and
pump their water even for commercial
purposes who spend, on average, N4000
monthly. I know some people who don’t have
prepaid meters in Abuja who are given a bill of
N2,500 a month. An insider of the IKDEC
described the N18,000 bill as “impossible.”
Still, there will be a further “increase” in
tariff for private homes in a few months’
time. Yet, there is no improvement in power
supply, particularly since last October. As I
am writing you this, there is power outage.
Last month and up till this month, the light
has been coming and going, every 30
minutes in my neigbourhood!
Now, even if with privatisation, the light
does not blink for one year, it is no
justification for reckless and irresponsible
bills. When the discos supply light that lasts
up to five hours at a stretch, they want
Nigerians to cheer them. Yet, the light supply
is nowhere near what the defunct National
Electric Power Authority, or even PHCN used
to supply us.
My neighbours have long lost faith in the
system. They say they can’t pay for what
they did not consume. Someone I know has
asked to be completely disconnected until he
gets a prepaid meter. He powers himself and
still has a lot of savings. But I still pay for
my bills regularly. But I get scorned by
neighbours, family and friends. That I still
pay the outrageous bills that I do not
consume even causes friction between my
spouse and I. The discos are stretching my
already thin patience!
As I said, we still run our generators as
before the privatisation. But as said, we will
save more if we depend solely on our
generators. But that will be antithetic to
your vision for the sector. We are all here to
support you and the system. But it seems
the discos are taking Nigerians for fools.
But what they fail to realise is that by their
greed, they only succeed in discouraging
those who pay their electricity bills. But it is
the discos that will lose eventually, as
Nigerians know how to beat the system!
The problem has been identified that there is
a huge metering gap. The discos are not
keen on giving out prepaid meters because of
the huge rake-off from the estimated billing
system. Nigerians now have to pay for their
inefficiency, and feed their greed. Even with
their greed, the discos are negligent in
maintaining their distribution equipment and
upgrading their facility. In December, I paid
N10,000, into my account. With that of
many others, till date, it has not been
credited into my account. They attribute it
to a “system error,” and are “working on it.”
And they want me to keep paying.
I am sorry, Your Excellency, but this matter
is now a campaign issue. Consider the millions
of Nigerians who are without prepaid meters
who are suffering this injustice. A majority
of Nigerians say they have not seen the
gain of the fuel price reduction from N97 to
N87. But trust me, Nigerians will be very
grateful if you intervene in this injustice
with the estimated bill. Nigerians are a
majority, and the discos are a minority. The
majority carries the vote! And that is the
vote we promise to give you!
You listened when we said we did not want
the removal of fuel subsidy. Pray, on behalf
of those Nigerians who are being cheated by
the discos, make NERC revert to the old
electricity tariff. If the average those who
are using prepaid meter are paying is
N4,000, the estimated bill given to those
who don’t have prepaid meters should be
fixed in that range. At worst, let those on
prepaid meters pay the new tariff, and those
without prepaid meters pay the old tariff.
And the day a consumer gets their prepaid
meter, they start paying the new tariff. And
any disco who still gives out “crazy bills”
should be sanctioned. And Nigerians are
within their rights not to pay such bills.
Perhaps, that is the only sure way of making
the discos give their customers prepaid
meters, and end the abuse.
I am also aware that you have provided the
funds for the provision of one million prepaid
meters for consumers. Nigerians appreciate
this. But one million meters will go nowhere.
And how will the meters be distributed?
Your Excellency, we are not asking to go
back to Egypt, but while in the wilderness
enroute to the Promised Land, give us the
manna called justice!
Permit me one last wish, Sir! The discos are
using the excuse of “increased” tariff to
feed fat. They are operating an open cheque,
with their pen dripping with the blood and
sweat of hapless Nigerians. May they be
struck by constipation!
Dr. Odoemena, a medical practitioner,
wrote in from Lagos

Nothin will come out of it. The dumbo just sits in the Villa and consumes billion naira worth of grub with sheepo, afterall theyv budgeted another millions to power their mikanos. Nonsense govt.
#Theydontreallycareaboutus - MJ

I hope this hits front page, so GEJ can emphasize with you.

I don't need to write my own again, the OP letter has express my own view. Walahi electricity supply so disgusting, for the past 6 month we have been on rotation 1 day ON, the other day OFF, even the one day ON still have to be shared, yet our billing did not reduce. These situation is killing.

MizyB:
I hope this hits front page, so GEJ can emphasize with you.

Empathize?

GEJ and his government will just come up with another excuse.

Presidential aspirant always using stable electricity as baits to get vote 4rm electorates
Deris Godu ooo

I just keep wondering how hard it is to generate electricity and give to a country. Since the dumbo came to power 5 solid years its been hovering btwn 2500 & 4200 mwts with billion $ sunk down the sewers, plus a lot of silly excuses from his band of thieving and clueless faggies that surround him.
#Pathetic....

There isn't much more to add.

I know the hell I went through before I got my prepaid meter. Even now, I suspect the meter may have been fiddled with. But at least I have a meter and the demon of estimated billing has been exorcised from my household. What of the millions like this writer who do not have meters? What happens to them?

After 16 years of the PDP at the helm, what excuse are they going to give for this? At every juncture, the PDP and its agents relentlessly sold and promoted the idea of free markets and privatization of state owned enterprises but the truth is that they do not believe in these concepts . These concepts are just conduits for these morally bankrupt men and women to enrich themselves and their associates. Crony capitalism at its worst.

After 16 years and billions of dollars, we still generate less than 5,000MW and we still rely on estimated billing because Nigerians do not have prepaid meters. The scam surrounding all stages of power production and distribution in this country is the worst kind of grand larceny that a government can perpetrate against its own citizens - this is the legacy of Messrs Olusegun Obasanjo, Umaru Yaradua, Goodluck Jonathan and their self styled biggest political party in Africa!

I hope Nigerians have learned their lesson. We shall see soon enough.

.......When we ask awa gorfamenti o, wen dem go giv us light, dem say na 2010, but we don dey wait 2010 since den but now de waiting must end cos 2010 don go o oo o, oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh...(sing up my people, sing up my people)

God bless Sound Sultan.....
#LightupNaija

blackfase:
I just keep wondering how hard it is to generate electricity and give to a country.

^^^
Exactly. Anyone would think that electricity was invented yesterday.

They do these things because they can. And gullible, simple minded Nigerians let them get away with it.

We keep getting excuses - a thousand and one excuses. How hard can it be to generate electricity? How do other countries do it?

Nigerian leaders have the consumption habits of first world citizens but their production habits are fifth world at best.

They drink French wine, drive German automobiles, operate Swiss bank accounts, wear Italian suits, patronize American doctors etc. But they can't generate electricity to lift their people out of poverty.

Nigerians, behold your nakkedness. Until we hold our leaders accountable, deprivation, anger and shame will be our lot.

RicKyRichards:

Empathize?

GEJ and his government will just come up with another excuse.

so what are we going to do about that? Vote Them Out?

You'v totally driven it home. The ever gullible, docile citizenry. And to imagine the same set of dummies clamouring for this hopelessly clueless inept government to return is more than mind-boggling. Silly people....

VolvoS60:


^^^
Exactly. Anyone would think that electricity was invented yesterday.

They do these things because they can. And gullible, simple minded Nigerians let them get away with it.

We keep getting excuses - a thousand and one excuses. How hard can it be to generate electricity? How do other countries do it?

Nigerian leaders have the consumption habits of first world citizens but their production habits are fifth world at best.

They drink French wine, drive German automobiles, operate Swiss bank accounts, wear Italian suits, patronize American doctors etc. But they can't generate electricity to lift their people out of poverty.

Nigerians, behold your nakkedness. Until we hold our leaders accountable, deprivation, anger and shame will be our lot.

MizyB:


so what are we going to do about that? Vote Them Out?

You're the smartest. After Nneka123. Sorry, no-one beats her.

Dont tell me you not yet armed with your pvc. Thats one big ammunition for you/ us all.....

MizyB:


so what are we going to do about that? Vote Them Out?

RicKyRichards:

You're the smartest. After Nneka123. Sorry, no-one beats her.

hian! I will show you
*snatches His PVC, runs out of thread*

MizyB:

hian! I will show you
*snatches His PVC, runs out of thread*

Nice try...I don't even have a PVC, sorry.

Correkt madmoiselle!.....(thumbs up). Go out ther in five weeks and shoot down the roguish rodents of naija politics with your prints biko.....

MizyB:

its right here in my purse sir!

blackfase:


Correkt madmoiselle!.....(thumbs up). Go out ther in five weeks and shoot down the roguish rodents of naija politics with your prints biko.....

right back at you sir!

RicKyRichards:

Nice try...I don't even have a PVC, sorry.

you NEED to go get yours!

Between 1999 - 2007 OBJ squandered $16 billion in his giagantic power projects that supposedly entered the Guinness Book of Records as the biggest power project any country could ever embark upon. To help you understand the magnitude of this crime on the Nigerian people, I recently bumped into a news on CCTV about Ethiopia's Grand Renaissance Dam, and I then checked it online.

The dam costs the govt. of Ethiopia $4.8 billion and it has an Installed capacity of 6,000 MW, well it's being constructed at a record time of 6 years and it is the biggest hydroelectric project in Africa currently. If this bloody govt. or the one before it, or even the one before the one before it had foresight, we won't be having this discussion of electricity in 2015. Just imagine $4.8 billion and imagine all the stolen funds in Nigeria, imagine the dollars being thrown away during this election.........!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Ethiopian_Renaissance_Dam

If one extrapolates this to Nigeria, this project would be estimated to take 20 years and will never be completed. My point is all these past and present rulers are all failures. GEJ is the latest failure and has earned it real good. He had 6 years and should have corrected the power woes of Nigeria. I've critically looked at the power infrastructures we currently have and the privatization drive, we won't have stable power in the next 6 years, my earnest forecast, especially looking at the body language of politicians in Nigerians and how projects are being executed. Someone has to now accumulate the power expenditures under GEJ's 6 years to understand how much of a waste we have endured in this country, they run in billions of dollars.

For a country like Nigeria and all the wealth at its disposal, crude oil sales et al, we deserve a whole lot. This is 2015 for God's sake, I'm shock of words for the African/Nigerian Dream.... Such a bleak one!!