One of Nigeria’s numerous problems is that we often put round pegs in square holes. And we expect the pegs to fit in smoothly and perfectly. Isn’t that ridiculous? In the civilized world, you can’t even iterate with such an idea given its predictable catastrophic and cataclysmic outcome, but here, it is the norm. The same way you can’t plant maize and expect to reap cassava, similarly, you can’t expect the round peg to fit into the square hole. The only instance when you can expect to plant maize and harvest cassava is when magic is involved. Unfortunately, you can’t enjoy magic-induced cassava the same way you will munch other farm produce that follows the natural germination process.
Interestingly, the thing with our country is that we expect magic where a sound decision will save us not just precious time but scarce resources—isn’t this a peculiar mess? I wager it is.
Perhaps no other ministerial portfolio announcement has generated more heated debates and charged conversations than the appointment of Oloye Bayo Adelabu, former CBN deputy governor, as minister of power. Indeed, Oloye himself must be shocked that he’s been appointed into a position where his brilliance and quick wit might not readily and easily reflect in his job performance, given the technical jargons he will have to know and understand and then apply.
But Oloye Adelabu is not the first in the line of technocrats who found themselves in the desert of ideas. Apart from being a deeply entrenched and firmly rooted problem that has held much of our country by the throat, this pattern is so characteristic of our leaders. In addition to being rampant among decision-makers who have turned appointments into sensitive positions for every Toms, Dick and Harry, this has equally become a clog in the wheel of the country’s progress. For the umpteenth time, we might as well start to contend and connect the dots between our numerous challenges and why, for instance, power has continued to be a consistent bane holding the prosperity and potential of the country back. Unfortunately, the deed is done, and we can only expect a miracle!
For the next four years, Oloye Adelabu and others in his shoes will have to learn on the job as beginners instead of unleashing their expertise on the tasks that align with their career trajectories. Do we have that time under our belts? What sort of experimentation is that? Much to the bewilderment of his supporters and adversaries, this is one appointment that will stretch his often-touted rich, impressive, and intimidating curriculum vitae. In what has become the norm, Oloye Adelabu will be joining other eminent Nigerians to be appointed minister of power outside of the power sector. Chief Bola Ige, SAN, and former governor of old Oyo State in the Second Republic also belong to that long list of technocrats put in charge of turning darkness into light. He was appointed by former President Olusegun Obasanjo as the Minister of Power and Steel (1999–2000). After his brief stint, Liyel Imoke, who would later serve as the governor of Cross River State, took over the ministry from him. Curiously, had Uncle Bola Ige succeeded where others have stumbled, the challenge of regular and frequent power supply in the country would have been thrown inside the trash bin. Despite his oratory prowess, Uncle Ige couldn’t fix the rot in the sector. It seems quite disturbing that the challenges confronting the sector have defied all manner of solutions and reformations, but hopefully, Oloye Adelabu will make a name for himself as the first minister of power to light the darkness of Nigerians.
Likewise, the story is the same for former Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN. Equally a brilliant, accomplished lawyer and politician, Fashola came into the ministry with oversize confidence. Given his nearly magical and mystical performance as Lagos State Governor, his ability to turn things around for good was not in doubt. He has done it in Lagos, so they say fixing power won’t break his resolve.
One day during the campaign for the 2015 elections, Babatunde Fashola was reported to have declared that fixing the perennial power problem in Nigeria should not take him more than six. He was sure of his ability to turn the misfortune of the sector around. After four years of muted and ineffective performance, Fashola was asked to shed the Ministry of Power from his truckload of national assignments. He was succeeded by Saleh Mamman, who was unceremoniously sacked from office for embezzlement. Abubakar Aliyu was soon to be named Minister of Power by former President Muhammadu Buhari. Under President Buhari, efforts were made to tackle the problem of power head-on. One such deal involved a German automation company, Siemens. The deal with the company aimed at “resolving challenges in the country’s power sector while expanding capacity for future needs in Nigeria. In addition, the deal contains technical and commercial proposals for financing, implementing, and executing projects to revive Nigeria’s power sector and manage Nigeria’s future electricity requirements”. But there’s a counterintuitive point that can help change the course of the round-peg-in-square-hole narrative: the signing of the electricity bill into law.
On June 10, 2023, President Bola Tinubu assented to the electricity bill, which authorises states, companies, and individuals to generate, transmit, and distribute electricity. The bill also provides a framework for the improvement of access to electricity in rural, unserved, underserved, peri-urban, and urban areas through the use of conventional sources and renewable energy off-grid and mini-grid solutions. We can argue over the competence and capability of Oloye Adelabu at this new assignment, but we can’t even debate how decentralisation will unleash the giant within the power sector.
For me, assenting to that bill is a game changer. In part because the persistent power problem in Nigeria has both political and technical undertones. Now that the veil of politics is lifted, tackling the menace of technicality can take centre stage. For the first time in decades, Oloye Bayo Adebayo stands on the threshold of history to clean up the peculiar mess in the power sector. Can he, do it?
OYO101 is Muftau Gbadegesin’s opinion about Issues affecting Oyo state, published on Saturdays. He can be reached via @TheGMAKing on Twitter, muftaugbadegesin@gmail.com and 09065176850
