₦airaland Forum

Desyner:
Why inspect 'hundreds of kilometre' when scada can reveal the location. Do you know the strength, speed and precision of scadas?

Monitoring doe not replace inspection bro...

obailala:
Monitoring doe not replace inspection bro...

inspection isn't a big deal once the favlt is known.

Desyner:
inspection isn't a big deal once the favlt is known.

When you are remotely notified of a fault, the next step is to hit the field to carry out direct-assessment; you don't do that from the control room.

Drversatile:
NEPA was better than this privatization .

Modified:

In sane clime privatization works but in Nigeria reverse is the case. Where is Nigeria Airways? NITEL? Ajaokuta etc?

I just don't know where we got it wrong.

Nigeria defiles every known laws and logic.

PetroleumJelly:
If you have a point, let it be known.

You should have just left him with with his six senses without no thinking capacity, he is probably benefiting from the failed system. Child of darkness

[quote author=Tazdroid post=55561826][/quote]

The problem in our power sector has very little to do with engineering It has more to do with political choices and decision making, legislation and Nigerian culture. I know a facility where they use a transformer ,they have a poultry,ad some heavy equipment but they do not pay one naira to
PHCN instead they settle the PHCN staff regularly.
Now we have to make a strategic decisions as nation about how to power our plants since gas is clearly unreliable.
again this is a political decision. Should we go nuclear or turn to coal? These are the issues and it makes no difference who is minister.We need to make choices and source for money for investment which we do not have..
Let us not pretend that any so called technocrat can magic money or solve the energy source conundrum without political leadership from the president and legislative
We will have to privatize transmission which will be a very humiliating national decision but by delay we are only postponing the pain.
Nigeria n's will have to pay a lot more and we will come to realise that electricity is for the rich.Just like with mobile phones,everyone has one but how many can really afford to use them?
People will have to get used to running out of credit and doing without

PetroleumJelly:
BTW, Fashola is a 100 square inch peg trying desperately hard to fit into a 20 square inch hole.

Doesn't work.

I don't care what you Nigerians say, talking about how you don't need technocrats as ministers. This isn't America, I hope you guys understand that. This is Nigeria, a developing country.

In America, technocrats have slaved over the years, such that, management of sectors can be achieved with little technical background knowledge.

There, systems work.

You can't extrapolate a working system to encompass that of a developing system, as the latter precedes the former.

What we need now are technocrats everywhere. I would even suggest technocrats with MBAs as ministers, rather than what we currently have.

We need to get our sectors working first. We need Power at 20-30GW in the next 5 years. After that, you can hire a butcher as the power minister for all I care.

Can't we just do things right for once in this country?

We are struggling with an abysmal 3GW of power and you hire a lawyer to remedy that? Sigh!

Meanwhile, humans like us, with one head, mostly 2 arms and 2 feet are out there in other countries doing wonders, while we play politics with our sectors, awarding them as spoils of electoral victory, akin to war.

Google already had self driving cars, Tesla has electric vehicles you simply charge up like your phone.

What are we doing

we are singing cus we can sing...

Homeboiy:
He is posing with it not inspecting

aboki

overlord77:
Nigeria defiles every known laws and logic.

I just don't know why

Yeah i remember these NEPA old Bo-105 helos.

PetroleumJelly:
BTW, Fashola is a 100 square inch peg trying desperately hard to fit into a 20 square inch hole.

Doesn't work.

I don't care what you Nigerians say, talking about how you don't need technocrats as ministers. This isn't America, I hope you guys understand that. This is Nigeria, a developing country.

In America, technocrats have slaved over the years, such that, management of sectors can be achieved with little technical background knowledge.

There, systems work.

You can't extrapolate a working system to encompass that of a developing system, as the latter precedes the former.

What we need now are technocrats everywhere. I would even suggest technocrats with MBAs as ministers, rather than what we currently have.

We need to get our sectors working first. We need Power at 20-30GW in the next 5 years. After that, you can hire a butcher as the power minister for all I care.

Can't we just do things right for once in this country?

We are struggling with an abysmal 3GW of power and you hire a lawyer to remedy that? Sigh!

Meanwhile, humans like us, with one head, mostly 2 arms and 2 feet are out there in other countries doing wonders, while we play politics with our sectors, awarding them as spoils of electoral victory, akin to war.

Google already had self driving cars, Tesla has electric vehicles you simply charge up like your phone.

What are we doing

You misunderstand in a fundamental manner how ministries work. A minister provides political guidance and leadership which the civil service under his control would follow while the permanent Secretary is often the technocrat and administrator.

Fashola's role is to create an atmosphere and the conditions for the numerous technocrats under his control to work and offer politically viable solutions. Besides the most pressing issues in the power sector concern financing and profitability which are hardly technical issues.

What is he inspecting the helicopters for? Is the fault on the helicopter?

aribisala0:
The problem in our power sector has very little to do with engineering It has more to do with political choices and decision making, legislation and Nigerian culture. I know a facility where they use a transformer ,they have a poultry,ad some heavy equipment but they do not pay one naira to
PHCN instead they settle the PHCN staff regularly.
Now we have to make a strategic decisions as nation about how to power our plants since gas is clearly unreliable.
again this is a political decision. Should we go nuclear or turn to coal? These are the issues and it makes no difference who is minister.We need to make choices and source for money for investment which we do not have..
Let us not pretend that any so called technocrat can magic money or solve the energy source conundrum without political leadership from the president and legislative
We will have to privatize transmission which will be a very humiliating national decision but by delay we are only postponing the pain.
Nigeria n's will have to pay a lot more and we will come to realise that electricity is for the rich.Just like with mobile phones,everyone has one but how many can really afford to use them?
People will have to get used to running out of credit and doing without

BIG LIKE

Desyner:
In serious nations they use SCADA to monitor power system failure more.

You should have explained further.

Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition.

Drversatile:
NEPA was better than this privatization .

Modified:

In sane clime privatization works but in Nigeria reverse is the case. Where is Nigeria Airways? NITEL? Ajaokuta etc?

I just don't know where we got it wrong.

It's because in the past we have bad leaders that fail to checkmate them instead they taking bribe and allow the investor do what they like with the companies..

ayobase:
You should have explained further.

Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition.

You can explain further too sir.

aribisala0:
Assuming you are right about technocrats
I would argue that we do not have technocrats in this sector of proven pedigree. Not one.Having a degree in Engineering from Unilag is not what makes a person an Engineer. We still end up employing white men to build our roads and so on. Engineering knowledge resides in companies like ABB Costain and so on not in UNN OR UNILAG.After over 40 years Julies Berger has not trained Nigerian's to lead projects.
Whether we use any of the so called failed Engineer from NEPA or Fashola or Magu it makey no difference. In fact the WORST CASE SCENARIO is using a so called technocrat because we will think it is someone with expertise. Let us start by agreeing we have no expertise and the job of a minister is purely political then we seek expertise from anywhere in the world we can buy it from?
We have no technocrat in this sector
My question is
GIVE US A NAME OF WHOUR YOU WOULD HAVE INSTEAD AND WHY

Expertise is Expertise no matter how you look at it.Just like employing an engineer as economic/minister of finance.Do you expect same result as an economist with result from UNN?
While I agree that Nigeria's problem(Which power sector is part of) is finance,an engineer will make more favourable decision that will favor the sector than a lawyer just like an economist will based on issues on finance.This more reason why we are where we are cos people don't see the need of going to hospitals when they can go to a drug dispenser and collect drugs.We are Where we are cos we don't see the need of following a particular order in doing things

That 1

Drversatile:
NEPA was better than this privatization .

Modified:

In sane clime privatization works but in Nigeria reverse is the case. Where is Nigeria Airways? NITEL? Ajaokuta etc?

I just don't know where we got it wrong.

Privatisation works, not Obasanjo and Atiku style tho, they privatise public assets to their personal property.

One of the smartest statements about the Nigerian situation quoted below.

If GSM network can work so well. Why not follow the model and privatize completely the power sector to real foreign companies instead of corrupt Nigerians that stole the money to buy and divide NEPA.

Same wine in new bottle. Same result and taste of no power.

aribisala0:
Personally I reject the technocrat idea 100% simply because the problem is NOT a technical one. Technically what needs to be done is known and can be done in a country of 100% illiterates if they have money to pay for it.
We see that all o'er the Middle East in oil rich countries
The problem is one of human/behaviour/ management and political administration
It speaks to Nigerian psychology and social organisation. The same reason why our football team got stranded in Atlanta and why in this day .and age people's luggage are looted at our airports without consequences. Why are there so many touts in our airports, why were people crowded into a stadium to Sit an employment exam and so many died without consequences? These are not technical problems requiring technical solutions
Many of us run generators in our homes very well without being technocrats we just buy in the expertise. It is not brain surgery

You mean Helicopter for a mere 5,000 MW?..

What a country!

Adiwana:
Expertise is Expertise no matter how you look at it.Just like employing an engineer as economic/minister of finance.Do you expect same result as an economist with result from UNN?
While I agree that Nigeria's problem(Which power sector is part of) is finance,an engineer will make more favourable decision that will favor the sector than a lawyer just like an economist will based on issues on finance.This more reason why we are where we are cos people don't see the need of going to hospitals when they can go to a drug dispenser and collect drugs.We are Where we are cos we don't see the need of following a particular order in doing things

There is no evidence for that claim .It is just an assumption
In Germany,France ,UK Japan and so on I could go on for ever They do not have engineers

The decisions that need to be made are political decisions not engineering decisions and they are not even decisions the Minister has the power to make. e.g to build a nuclear plant. To build coal plant,to privatize transmission lines to allow states to generate power off grid and so on

Does the minister have the power o decide to build a nuclear plant for example.

Give one one practical example of what specific decision an engineer could make as Minister.

Eve if you take two engineer they could make exactly OPPOSITE decisions.

I have answered this on a different thread where I actually checked the background of Energy Ministers of top economies. France ,Germany UK Japan India Brazil Russia Canada, The US had a physics guy but they too have had a lawyer

None was and engineer and guess what

The degree that appeared most commonly was a law degree. e.g a the time selegine Royal in France was a lawyer

At the time(I don't have time to check now) in ermany the guy used to be a teacher.

The problem you have is you do not understand the job of a Minister AT ALL. A minister is a political appointee whose role is to represent the interest of people.

In the UK only elected legislators are appointed as Ministers.and that is tthe case in Most parliamentary systems across the world .Do people check qualifications before electing legislators? NO. Parliamentary cabinets are shuffled all the time and Ministers could be asked to head ANY department. Recently a doctor was defence secretary

Ministers role is to manage technocrats not to be a technocrat

If I live abroad and I send money to Nigeria for building a house and I ask someone to supervise it what I need is soeone I Trst not an engineer.
The US preferred a doctor to Ngozi Okonjo Iweala as World Bank President?

Why ?

The statement expertise is expertise is totally meaningless when the index expertise is not relevant to the job. But first you must grasp what exactly the job is which clearly you don't
I cannot think of a time when the Health Secretary in the UK was a doctor maybe not in my lifetime. The expertise required to be a minister is knowledge of HOW GOVERNMENT WORKS and not KNOWLEDGE OF HOW MACHINES OR ENGINES WORK.
Any graduate that is intelligent who has worked and risen in the civil service can be a minister

In China it is tha way and that is how people rise. You leave university with a degree in whateverand join government over the next twenty years he will start as an intern and over time likely will superintend education,health,works, defence,waste management and so on. Moving around fro department to departent and place to place learning about diffferent places and departments and by the time he becomes a minister would be fit to head any department


The current energy minister in
China is a lawyer

France is a lawyer
India is a banker
Japan Economist
UK Economist
Germany Lawyer
Australia Lawyer
Mexico Lawyer

Italy Lawyer

aribisala0:
There is no evidence for that claim .It is just an assumption
In Germany,France ,UK Japan and so on I could go on for ever They do not have engineers

The decisions that need to be made are political decisions not engineering decisions and they are not even decisions the Minister has the power to make. e.g to build a nuclear plant. To build coal plant,to privatize transmission lines to allow states to generate power off grid and so on

Does the minister have the power o decide to build a nuclear plant for example.

Give one one practical example of what specific decision an engineer could make as Minister.

Eve if you take two engineer they could make exactly OPPOSITE decisions.

I have answered this on a different thread where I actually checked the background of Energy Ministers of top economies. France ,Germany UK Japan India Brazil Russia Canada, The US had a physics guy but they too have had a lawyer

None was and engineer and guess what

The degree that appeared most commonly was a law degree. e.g a the time selegine Royal in France was a lawyer

At the time(I don't have time to check now) in ermany the guy used to be a teacher.

The problem you have is you do not understand the job of a Minister AT ALL. A minister is a political appointee whose role is to represent the interest of people.

In the UK only elected legislators are appointed as Ministers.and that is tthe case in Most parliamentary systems across the world .Do people check qualifications before electing legislators? NO. Parliamentary cabinets are shuffled all the time and Ministers could be asked to head ANY department. Recently a doctor was defence secretary

Ministers role is to manage technocrats not to be a technocrat

If I live abroad and I send money to Nigeria for building a house and I ask someone to supervise it what I need is soeone I Trst not an engineer.
The US preferred a doctor to Ngozi Okonjo Iweala as World Bank President?

Why ?

The statement expertise is expertise is totally meaningless when the index expertise is not relevant to the job. But first you must grasp what exactly the job is which clearly you don't
I cannot think of a time when the Health Secretary in the UK was a doctor maybe not in my lifetime. The expertise required to be a minister is knowledge of HOW GOVERNMENT WORKS and not KNOWLEDGE OF HOW MACHINES OR ENGINES WORK.
Any graduate that is intelligent who has worked and risen in the civil service can be a minister

In China it is tha way and that is how people rise. You leave university with a degree in whateverand join government over the next twenty years he will start as an intern and over time likely will superintend education,health,works, defence,waste management and so on. Moving around fro department to departent and place to place learning about diffferent places and departments and by the time he becomes a minister would be fit to head any department

They are already developed countries,you're not.Trump had 0 political knowledge(at least judging by the fact he held no position) but still won.If not Clinton with decades of the game of politics should be President.Can you vouch the same for Nigeria? I doubt
As I said before,While finance is the major problem of this ministries,Leadership is still another factor&for Nigeria, this country doesn't need as Someone already said "Spoils of Winning Elections" which entails a lawyer heading the power sector.An engineer is more fit for the challenges than a lawyer

Adiwana:
They are already developed countries,you're not.Trump had 0 political knowledge(at least judging by the fact he held no position) but still won.If not Clinton with decades of the game of politics should be President.Can you vouch the same for Nigeria? I doubt
As I said before,While finance is the major problem of this ministries,Leadership is still another factor&for Nigeria, this country doesn't need as Someone already said "Spoils of Winning Elections" which entails a lawyer heading the power sector.An engineer is more fit for the challenges than a lawyer

I am happy to learn what an engineer would do different if you tell me. You on the other hand are just fixed in your BELIEF without evidence or rationality.
As far as I have seen we have lawyers heading this department in Italy Mexico Australia Germany France and China.
I do not believe it makes any difference .

Before we can take this further can you givve just one example of a decision that only an Engineer can make

and why this is different because "We are not a developed country" as you claim

Even if you take two engineers theyy will not necessarily agree with each other.There is no one way oof doing things that all engineerss would pursue

To me your claim is just dogma with no basis in logic and more like a religious belief

Jose Mourinho,Alex Ferguson Arsene Wengers did not excel as footballers.Excellent footballers have failed as coaches.

Even within purely engineering companies they have had lawyers as CEO and many other CEOs with non science backgrounds heading engineering firms and so on.

To be a minister the most imortant qualification is experience in government.
I would rather have a former commissioner of educaation as minister for power than an engineer who has no experience of awarding or managing contracts or who has never signed a cheque for any project .

A minister is just the eyes ,ears and ars of the president IT IS A POLITICAL JOB and not a TECHNICAL one.
If he needs engineers as adviser which he certainly will he can pay for that whether as consultants or civil servants

If you explain to an intelligent and educated car owner the problem with his car and the spending choices and options he can make an intelligent decision.He does not need to be an engineer.
If you explain treatmment options to a patient he can decide whether or not to have surgery.doctor do not know everything.
It is the same with engineers.You consult the for technical advise and then you who knows your people and feel their pulse,who has knowledge about the financial capacity of the country.WHo has knowledge of the political consequences of building a plant in Lagos and not Onitsha who has knowledge of the anger of the gas producing communities now has to make political decisions.

The decision making process therefore factors in technical information which is important but not more important than the people ,the political social and economic factors as well .That is the job of a Minister

PetroleumJelly:
BTW, Fashola is a 100 square inch peg trying desperately hard to fit into a 20 square inch hole.

Doesn't work.

I don't care what you Nigerians say, talking about how you don't need technocrats as ministers. This isn't America, I hope you guys understand that. This is Nigeria, a developing country.

In America, technocrats have slaved over the years, such that, management of sectors can be achieved with little technical background knowledge.

There, systems work.

You can't extrapolate a working system to encompass that of a developing system, as the latter precedes the former.

What we need now are technocrats everywhere. I would even suggest technocrats with MBAs as ministers, rather than what we currently have.

We need to get our sectors working first. We need Power at 20-30GW in the next 5 years. After that, you can hire a butcher as the power minister for all I care.

Can't we just do things right for once in this country?

We are struggling with an abysmal 3GW of power and you hire a lawyer to remedy that? Sigh!

Meanwhile, humans like us, with one head, mostly 2 arms and 2 feet are out there in other countries doing wonders, while we play politics with our sectors, awarding them as spoils of electoral victory, akin to war.

Google already had self driving cars, Tesla has electric vehicles you simply charge up like your phone.

What are we doing

Your post was very informative.

However, Fashola shouldn't carry all the blame.

Militants keep blowing up the gas pipelines supplying the gas fuelled generators. Its one of the biggest reasons for the current state of affairs.

Also the DISCO's are owed over 300B by consumers , the bulk by the FG.

Alao the privatisation programme that left the DISCO's in private hands was a sham.

It is shocking that no foreign firm won a bid considering the stagnant or declining profits that power companies face in the industrialised world due the rise of green energy.

Still though, a technocrat may be better but unless these bottlenecks are cleared, it will be unfair to blame Fashola for the present state of affairs

Guess what the US Energy Secretary has a Bachelor Degree in

Animal Science
He also has an extensive political career as a legislator,deputy Governor and then Governor of Texas.

I believe his political experience is more important than his degree.


People wwill say those are develoed countries

Guess what the Same ministry is managed by a lawyer in Ghana

Let us leave this technocrat argument it is lame and tired

In fact the most common degree among Ministers holding this portfolio across the world is LAW

Interesting to know that the same portfolio in Cameroon is handled by a guy with............

Yup a law degree