Fw: Worsening governance and a social contract in flames

[ayo_ol...@yahoo.com]

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Date: Fri, 25 Apr 2014 13:41:01
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Subject: Re: Worsening governance and a social contract in flames

Thanks Professor Olukotun for sending this to me. I suspect that you included me in your distribution because you think I can contribute some sense on the issue of the Nigerian electric power situation. I will try, but before I do, a proverb is necessary. If you would butcher carrion, you cannot have fingers to scratch your body, if it itches. I noticed several carrion as I read through your comments. I wish you and Nigeria luck as we wade through the treacle without a political system that can help us through. Most Nigerian ethnic nations I know, live in families and within communities. I have been unable to understand how and why we think we can survive with a political system designed for those who believe and love to live as individuals. When we live as individuals, ignore communities and make our choices as to those we want to relate and deal with, others shout that we have acquired the culture of impunity. We have a huge problem, but let me talk about the one you think I might address more competently.

Nigeria's electric power supply industry is some 68 years old. Individual units of power supply were on for about five decades in a few places before government started the notion of a unified system, realized partially under the Nigerian Government Electricity Undertakings in 1946 and fully under the Electricity Corporation of Nigeria in 1951. As far as I am aware, though the industry continually changed names from NGEU to ECN and so on, hardly any change has occurred in Nigeria's electric power distribution philosophy. We operate a radial distribution system with no injection of new technologies, since they were first established.

Government has privatized the industry. Power stations, transmission systems and distribution zones are now owned by different bodies, all of which must act together before the product, electrical energy, can arrive where the consumer wants it. Buyers of the distribution zones are reflectors through which the consumer sees what is going on, but they are the tail-end of a complicate service and system. Others wag them. They can wag nothing.

It is folly for the industry and country to rely on one primary source of energy for their power needs. It is double folly to rely on gas. A power station powered by gas is a power supplier's dream. It is quick to start, it is clean, it is almost environmentally friendly. On the flip side, it is expensive, it can hardly be stored, it is as Nigeria can tell you, easily vandalized and the plants are short-lived. We have aging hydro-plants and others need development. It is simply tragic that we have failed to develop coal-fired plants, particularly in Kogi State where it practically sits on the surface of the ground. Coal can be stored. There are improved technologies to make it more friendly to the environment. No country in the world ever ignores its primary energy resources. Nigeria needs it for its base load generation.

It is absurd to expect that wrongs we willfully committed for about 60 years can be corrected in five months. If we will let them be, buyers of distribution zones would be expected to decide what distribution systems they want or if they would rehash extant systems, in Nigeria's circumstances. However, they too, have the enormous difficulties you wrote eloquently about to contend with. I wonder how much they will struggle given the distractions, which come from flustered individuals and communities, aided and abetted by incompetent comments in newspapers. When might we have specialist journalists to calm our nerves in this country? Thank you again.

Engr. S O Uwaifo.
Retired & former Area Manager, ECN, Kaduna
Author of Electric Power Distribution Planning & Development



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> On Apr 25, 2014, at 3:11, ayo_ol...@yahoo.com wrote:
>
>
> http://www.punchng.com/opinion/viewpoint/worsening-governance-and-a-social-contract-in-flames/
>
> Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless handheld from Glo Mobile.

[Sam Amadi]

Engr Uwaifo,
Thanks for that poser. When do we have specialist journalists in Nigeria to clam our nerves or provide educated reflections on the present problems? I hope soon.
Sam Amadi

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