News

OPINION: Nigerian Electricity Lie And The Old Northern Folklore

Published

5 months ago

June 18, 2025

Editor

By Israel Adebiyi

There is an old Northern Nigerian folklore titled “Ali and the Angel: Tea Without Sugar.” In this tale, a man named Ali, sensing opportunity in a village too poor to afford sugar, disguised himself as an angel. He claimed he had brought “heavenly sugar” to sweeten their tea. The “sugar,” however, was nothing but ashes from a burnt hut.

Desperate, the villagers bought into the trick. They stirred ashes into their tea and convinced themselves the taste had improved. Some even fell ill. But by the time they realized they had been drinking poison and praising a fraudster, Ali had vanished—along with their money, their health, and their hope.

This story may be folklore, but it mirrors Nigeria’s journey through power sector privatization since 2013.

When the Goodluck Jonathan administration signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with private Distribution Companies (DISCOs), it was heralded as a turning point. These companies were handed over the reins with clear expectations: to invest massively in infrastructure, provide meters to every Nigerian, improve supply, and run the sector efficiently and transparently.

MORE FROM THE AUTHOR: OPINION: The Elephant Must Beware Of The Red Carpet

Twelve years later, Nigerians are still drinking bitter tea—no sugar, no light.

Instead of improvement, we now have a sector that is both privatized and parasitic. Citizens pay for everything—transformers, poles, cables, and meters—yet receive no reliable power in return. In many communities, residents pool money to buy equipment the DISCOs should provide. This defies both logic and law.

Even more disturbing is the fact that government at national and sub-national levels continue to pump public funds into infrastructure for these private firms. Federal and state budgets routinely allocate billions for electrification projects, transformer procurements, and rural access—for a sector that is supposedly privatized.

This is an anomaly that turns logic on its head. In no sane privatization model should the public be the one enabling the private investor to function. The DISCOs were meant to invest, but instead, they have turned the system into a cash cow—earning trillions while hiding behind estimated billing and technical excuses.

Even as darkness deepens, tariffs are being raised, and there is now a push to remove electricity subsidies entirely. This is not reform; it is daylight robbery. You do not fix a leaky roof by tearing off the entire ceiling—you hold the builder accountable.

The President Bola Tinubu administration must act with urgency. A surgical probe is needed into the operations of the DISCOs. Nigerians need to know where the trillions went, why investments were not made, and why, a decade after privatization, over 60% of Nigerians still live in darkness.

It is time to review the MoU. Any DISCO that has failed to meet its obligations must face revocation of license. The government must chart a new course—one that aligns with public interest, not private greed.

Electricity is not just about light; it is about life—health, education, industry, and dignity. As it stands, the system is rigged against the people. It is as though someone promised them sugar, but sold them ashes—and made them pay for the spoon, the cup, and the tea as well.

Until something changes, Nigerians will continue to stir their bitter tea and pretend it’s sweet. But the deception must end. The fraud must be unmasked. The “angel” must be exposed.

Enough of power without light.

News

Delta-billionaire Lawuru To Grace Ijaw Media Conference As Guest Of Honour

Published

10 hours ago

November 27, 2025

Editor

The President of Egbema Brotherhood, Alaowei Promise Lawuru, is expected to grace the forthcoming Ijaw Media Conference 2025, as a guest of honour.

The event is scheduled to hold on December 3rd, 2025, in Warri, Delta State.

The annual media conference organised by the Ijaw Publishers Forum with the theme ‘Safeguarding Niger Delta’s Natural Resources for Future Generations,’ is second edition of the series.

Lawuru, youthful politician and businessman’s willingness to appear as guest of honour was made known
when a delegation of the Central Working Committee led by Pastor Arex Akemotubo paid him a visit to inform him of the forthcoming event and his expected role.

In his presentation, Akemotubo explained that this year’s theme was chosen out of concern for the growing strain on the region’s land and waters.

The Publisher of WaffiTV stressed that the forum wants to strengthen public understanding, support honest reportage, and encourage leaders to protect what the Niger Delta holds for the next generation.

He addex that Lawuru’s history of service and steady involvement in community work made him a natural choice for the role.

Chief Lawuru welcomed the invitation and spoke warmly about the need for shared responsibility among stakeholders and groups such as the IPF.

He commended the forum for using the media to defend the region’s interests and promised full support for the conference.

Lawuru further urged other stakeholders across the Ijaw nation to lend their weight to efforts that safeguard the environment.

News

Senate Recommends Death Penalty For Kidnappers

Published

11 hours ago

November 26, 2025

Editor

The Senate has passed a resolution classifying kidnapping as an act of terrorism, stipulating that an amendment to the Terrorism Act be made to impose the maximum penalty of death.

The resolution was made during plenary on Wednesday.

Under the new law, according to the upper legislative arm, once a kidnapping conviction is established, the death penalty must be applied.

Nigeria suffers from a persistent security crisis fuelled by attacks and violence by “bandit” gangs that raid villages, kill people, and kidnap for ransom.

In response to recent kidnappings and attacks by terrorists, President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday ordered a total security cordon over the forests in Kwara State.

Series Of Abductions

Bandits had struck the Isapa community of the Ekiti Local Government Area of Kwara State, abducting 11 residents.

The attack came about two weeks after and 38 worshippers were abducted from a Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) in the Eruku community of the state.

Terrorists also attacked St. Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary Schools, Papiri, in Niger State, abducting more that 300 school children and staff in a resurgence of the mass kidnappings that have long harrowed Africa’s most populous country.

In the same week, 24 schoolgirls were taken from the Government Comprehensive Girls Secondary School, Maga, Danko Wasagu Local Government Area in Kebbi State, but regained freedom on Tuesday.

At least 50 taken from St Mary’s Catholic school also managed to escape, but more than 265 children and teachers are still being held.

Nigeria’s high-profile mass kidnapping was that of the Chibok schoolgirls in 2014, when Boko Haram forced 276 girls from their dormitories in the North-East region.

More than a decade later, man of the Chibok girls are still missing.

News

FG Threatens To Seize Dana Air Assets

Published

12 hours ago

November 26, 2025

Editor

The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has disclosed that the Federal Government may recover and sell the assets of Dana Air to refund passengers and travel agents whose funds remain trapped following the suspension of the airline’s operations.

The Minister disclosed this in Abuja on Tuesday at the Ministry’s fourth quarter stakeholders’ engagement to enhance governance for effective service delivery in aviation with the theme: “leveraging public feedback to drive excellence in aviation services”.

According to him, the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) will be directed to probe why funds trapped by the airline are yet to be refunded.

He revealed that the Authority suspended the operations of the airline as a matter of choice between safety and disaster.

“For Dana, the problem is that it was a choice between safety and disaster. So we didn’t take the commercial thing as priority. The priority was safety, and we all looked at the damning reports that we had met on the table.

“It was a decision of the NCAA to suspend them, but I pushed them to say, look, these are the reports we are seeing on the table about safety record, about lack of standards that put the lives of Nigerians at risk. If they continue flying, I don’t know whether most of us will be here. Many of us would have been victims of one of those flights. God forbid.”

According to him, “I have asked Najomo to dig deep to find out how those passengers and agents will be refunded. He has to dig deep on that.

“One solution will also be that if that same individual or those entities are trying to come back to aviation under any guise, whether to go and register a new AOC or use any business within the aviation sector, they have to go and settle their debts first.

“We should look at their assets. There are assets that are still available. Let them sell their assets. Let’s cannibalize their revenue and pay people. Let’s find a way to go after their assets and get money to pay Nigerians who are owed.

“NCAA should do that because they can’t get away with it.”