Something magical happened last week – the average man on the street didn’t even notice or cared but then it would probably have more influence on the fortune of this country than anything else that ever happened to us.
Well, GEJ didn’t resign – that’s too obvious. BH didn’t declare cease fire – that probably won’t happen anytime soon.
The dudes who wanted to buy our electricity infrastructure finally plunked down the balance of the money to buy hope and faith. Of the 15 consortia itching to have some electric shocks bring us back to life, only the folks gunning for the Enugu Distro couldn’t pay up. That’s sad because all they need do was ask me, I could have extended some cash advance, after all, this is for Nigeria. Ok, that’s a joke. If I had that much cash, I wouldn’t have to endure many things day after day.
Now that they have paid up, GEJ will hand over PHCN to private sector and we believe that this would be the beginning of good things in Nigeria. I’m so giddy with excitement. Imagine even 12 hours of uninterrupted power each day and then gradually they upgrade to 24/7. Think of how much we would save from not buying diesel and petrol to fuel generators? Think of how much it even cost to get those damned generators in the first instance?
Cost of business would drastically reduce for everyone. Businesses would flourish. More cash means more things to buy. The middle class would resurge. Maybe if life is easier for everyone we would be less easy to bribe to elect stupid officials, which is maybe.
But what happens to the folks that bring in generators to sell? Demand would nosedive – same happened to the importers of motorbikes when Fashola pulled the plug off Okadas. Demand for petrol and diesel would also bottom-out.
There would always be losers and gainers. In this instance, probably more gainers. If GEJ could pull this through, his name would be written in gold. I’m dead serious. I’m not praise singing him but electricity is the biggest problem we have in Nigeria, after mediocrity.
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My dear Deji, this is a lofty and ideal development but I am not holding my breath or giddy with happiness like you for the singular reason called the Nigerian factor; the privatisation itself could be a front for some big guns, I stand to be corrected in the presence of SOLID evidence though. The ‘announcement’ may be magical to you and to some select few but the average Nigerian can only appreciate it when the tangible improvement is felt in Naira terms and light, light, light everywhere. I am not a pessimist but just being realistic. Thanks for bringing this to our attention. Off now to research the ‘announcement’ the more.