By Denrele Animasaun

Every day my people dey inside bus, every day my people dey inside bus Forty-nine sitting, ninety-nine standing,Them go pack themselves in like sardine,Them dey faint, them dey wake like cock,Them go reach bed, power no dey,Them go reach road, go-slow go come,Them go reach road, police go slap,Them go reach road, army go whip,Them go look pocket, money no dey,Them go reach work, query ready” — Fela

Two  days  ago, Brother Rasaq wrote on his social  page to asking if, anyone  knew  where  to procure the old coal filled  iron as Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company (IKEDC) continue to  keep  the people of Dopemu  in darkness.  I honestly did not think that they still sell these. The  last  time  I used  one ,was when I was  in  boarding  school many years ago and  these heavy mental  iron was always hit and miss as it had no control!  That was very much like the present predicament of those left with no power.

Brother  Rasaq,  wrote  that  he  was tired of  having  to place his clothes under the mattress to  keep  them looking  ironed.  What does it take to get power for the people? How long is long enough for people to expect very much of the same of nothing. I received so many comments on the very subject and it seems that more people are experiencing the same power outage problem. Solar power will be the way to go in Nigeria, and then people can be sure to receive regular and efficient power at all time.

We still Agonise…Kola Animasun
The people of Dopemu still agonise over their lack of light. And that means they do not have water and do not go about their duties of grinding their pepper, their corns, and their flour.

All others suffering from the power outage problem. held a meeting the IKEJA undertaking Monday and there was nothing to believe they will bail us out of the electricity trouble in foreseeable future.

What we know is that we would not pay anything to them without giving us light that much they promised would be? Something that came out of our meeting is that we learnt that the Federal Government still holds 45% equity. Would someone relieve us of our burden?

Sule Lamido and GEJ

“It is easier to forgive an enemy than to forgive a friend.” –    William Blake

I have had the Jigawa State Governor Sule Lamido story on the back burner for a while. So if you think it’s old news, it is not. This is a story that will run and run and we have not heard the last from Sule Lamido.

This man, it seems, cannot be moved or bamboozled into making a snap decision. He refuses to jump with the G7, he felt that his place was in the PDP and whatever the melee, that change should start from within. At least you can call him anything but consistent.

So things might have come to a boil when the Minister of Agriculture, Dr Akinwumi Adesina, came to visit the good governor. Something must have snapped and ignited some pent up  feelings in Sule Lamido of Jigawa State to articulate his qualms about President Goodluck Jonathan whom he accused of failing to fulfill all the promises he made to him and people of the state in 2011.

*Sule Lamido

He said: “I personally asked people of Jigawa State to vote for Jonathan in the interest of national unity, progress and the promises he made to do justice to the people of the state in terms of executing capital projects. The president and the vice president personally promised to continue with Hadejia irrigation project to the extent that over N10billion was allocated to the project in a budget, but, three years after, nothing has been done”.

He was passionately angered by GEJ’s failure and was angry that President Jonathan failed to recognize and  acknowledge the achievements of the state but  that  he  felt  that  the FG should  do  more in  terms  of matching  funding  for agricultural and capital  projects that would improve the wellbeing of the people of the state, and  he  said that the federal government  has “deliberately abandoned the state”.

If given proper investments and commitment, Jigawa can be main player feeding the nation. The state is well on its way as it adopted practical measures to encourage dry season farming, such as making fertilizer, seeds and other inputs more readily available and providing tube wells and pump machines for irrigation farmers.
Lamido should take heed with relying on promises; you cannot force people to behave the way you want them to. If you pin your hopes on a promise, you are more likely to be disappointed.  Friendship built on promises doesn’t last.  Will his people forgive him? I think so. He has worked hard to transform his state; with a working university and a revamped public sector, an airport that could open the state, with colossal agricultural potentials.

Did Adesina pass on the message to GEJ? I guess not. He is after all a fan of the Huncho. Adesina, while receiving his Forbes award, said of GEJ: “The results achieved in Nigeria could not have been possible without the immense support of Nigeria’s President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan. His passion and leadership inspires us that we can achieve even greater results. For agriculture was Nigeria’s past and in agriculture – as a business – lies Nigeria’s greater future,”