By Denrele Animasaun

“Most leaders spend time trying to get others to think highly of them, when instead they should try to get their people to think more highly of themselves.It’s wonderful when the people believe in their leader. It’s more wonderful when the leader believes in their people. You can’t hold a man down without staying down with him. — Booker T. Washington

Power,what power!

Anytime and I mean,any time of the day or night that I call my parents,they are usually in the middle of a power cut, or that the power has just been restored. My father then  will scurry around  to switch the generator off or on as the case may be.

So our conversation now revolves round power cuts and the effects of the power cuts have on other aspects of their lives and living. For instance,if it is too hot;and there is no power,the food in fridge is rendered inedible,the ironing, the cooking just forget about watching television and if you are lucky, it’s better to buy a battery operated radio.  At least, you can listen to what is going on in the country .

If you are unwell and in hospital and there is a power cut,then you are on a wing and prayer. You can pray that there is a standby generator and hope that it would kick in once there is a power cut. Not sure there is a guaranteed as they have to queue for fuel like everyone else so you can only wonder how many lives have been lost as a result of the constant power cut. In fact,I would go as far as to ask,that before admission to hospital, ask if there is a standby generator and if it would  kick in once there is a power cut.  There is no harm in asking?

This sustained power cut is reminiscent of the 2012 power cuts and now, this very moment,the people thought things would change with a new captain at the helm.  The change that people prayed for, is not exactly what is happening. Yes, people have had enough or is it wrong to have certain expectations or should people not expect essential services to run as they should? Should people continue to pay for services that they do not receive regularly or it is too much to ask for?

The black market is having a field day and are charging over the odds for those who are desperate to get their hands on the black gold. Fights have broken and lives lost as a result of frazzled tempers queuing for petrol and shockingly,it seems that people take it in their stride as if it is the norm. This is not normal and it should not be the  new normal.

Everyone is on the make and it has a knock on effect on everyone, including those who seize the opportunity to fleece their fellow Nigerians. This is the land of the hustle and the joke’s on us all.

We do not know how many lives have been lost as a result of the persistent power cut and there is no way of knowing because there is no constant power cut or process to collate the information. And at least the police can hide behind power cut and blame it on power cut.

The local traders are charging extra for their goods and of course, everything has become out of reach and beyond the means of the common man. Yes, and some blame it on the  costs of the dollar! The market traders seem to know more about the economy than a lot of economists!

Then there is the fuel scarcity;the rampant and constant fuel scarcity means that people are queuing for many hours on end. Looking for fuel now is everyone’s waking moments. One can only imagine how many man hours is lost in terms of the impact on the economy. The lives lost as  people started to hoard petrol or fight to death for petrol and it is the poor that suffer the most.

It has caused a knock on effect on all walks of life,no one has been spared in the constant struggle to get fuel. Up and down the country,the generators are silenced(that’s is partly a relief) as there are no petrol to feed the guzzlers. No electricity, this means no business for many small scale businesses and no business means no food and no disposable income.  Nigeria is heavily dependant on fuel and it is seriously damaging the economy and the quality of  lives of Nigerians; from health, work, cars, to transport for goods and to services to powering      the generators that support households and businesses and right now, many are lucky if  they get a few hours  of electricity a day.

So here we are. Nigeria is the Africa’s largest oil producer and the fuel shortages has  severely paralysed Nigeria, the giant of Africa and the largest  economy in Africa. The problem is, Nigeria does not have the capacity to refine enough of its own oil into fuel and definitely fails to meet the needs of its population of over 177 million people.  Now we know that the companies that import fuel claimed,they have not been paid by the Nigerian government  and they have simply done what they feel is their only choice; to cut supply and hold the whole of Nigeria to ransom. If this is the case,it is about time the Nigerian government pay the fuel importers  and also  reconsider the subsidisation of oil prices and should really start to consider the use of solar power and other alternative power source.

We need a long time plan as it is obvious that the bottom has fallen on the price of oil  and the many of  other oil producing  countries are diversifying  rather than rely solely on their oil or oil reserve. Nigeria relies  heavily on imported fuel for around 80 percent of its energy needs, and its refineries struggle to reach full capacity due to  kickbacks, illegal bunkering,sabotage and poor maintenance.

Just like the other oil producing countries, Nigeria’s economy has been hit by a global slump in oil prices and the importers can not generate the dollars that is  required to buy petrol and the state oil companies  are not  able to exchange crude oil for gasoline.  See, I  told you that the market traders are attune to the price of the dollars .

The petroleum minister,Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu, who also serves as head of the state-run Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), is due to appear before senators to explain how his ministry intends to solve the problem of fuel scarcity.  Kachikwu  said he was not “a magician” and he has warned that the shortages could persist for the foreseeable future. He is rubbing salt into the wounds of ordinary Nigerians and  he seems to be clueless as to what he should do to remedy this situation.  The truth be told,Nigerians have always looked for a quick returns and this time, Nigerians have got to  change their mindset. What Nigeria needs is long term investment and planning of the future.

This is too little, too late. The minister may be brutally honest but he has not said anything to say how his ministry plans to sort out the problem. What is needed now is more action and less pontification.The  Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN)  have blamed the leadership crisis on the present dilemma . So since PMB, was the the Federal Commissioner of Petroleum and Natural Resources, from 1976 to 1978, it  would be prudent to sort out this mess out and  end fuel scarcity and corruption.