POOR ELECTRICITY: “STOP BLAMING OTHERS, YOU FAILED TO KEEP YOUR PROMISE”

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By:Tajudeen Aminat

A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, has responded strongly to President Bola Tinubu’s remarks blaming previous administrations for the worsening state of Nigeria’s power sector.

In a statement issued on Monday, Eze reminded the president of his pledge before the 2023 general elections to resolve the country’s electricity challenges if elected.

“Tinubu assured Nigerians that he would address the nation’s failing electricity supply through comprehensive power sector reforms,” he said.

“Across every part of Nigeria today, there is complete and alarming darkness. The entire power sector has collapsed, with the national grid failing repeatedly and no lasting solution in sight apart from continuous borrowing,” Eze said.

The ADC chieftain expressed surprise at President Tinubu’s recent comments, insisting that the president ought to apologise to Nigerians for failing to make progress on his campaign promise to fix the electricity problem, despite substantial budgetary allocations running into billions of naira over the past three years.

Eze stated that blaming previous administrations for the current administration’s failure to resolve the power crisis was “an excuse in futility, an aberration, and a story for the gods.”

“Is it only in the power sector that the President has failed Nigerians? Certainly not. No reasonable Nigerian will accept such claims because this administration has been defined by failure, ineptitude, corruption, and heavy reliance on foreign borrowing,” he said.

He further described it as “regrettable and shameful” that a leader who promised to restore electricity supply to Nigerians is now shifting blame instead of fulfilling his pledge.

According to Eze, the lives and property of electricity workers are now at risk, as many Nigerians allegedly blame them for the government’s failure to provide stable electricity.

Recall that President Tinubu had earlier attributed the country’s ongoing power shortages to a flawed privatization of the electricity sector by previous administrations.

He argued that structural defects in the privatization process have long hampered progress in the sector, a claim Eze dismissed outright.

However, Eze maintained that even if the privatization was flawed, Tinubu had promised during his campaign to fix the challenges rather than shift blame to past governments.

He further noted that during the 2023 campaign, Tinubu reportedly said Nigerians should not vote for him if he failed to improve electricity supply.

Eze concluded that it is now evident the president has fallen short of that promise and has no justification for the current situation.

“Based on his own statement that he should be voted out if he fails to solve Nigeria’s electricity challenges, I therefore call on Nigerians to comply with his wish by voting him out of office,” Eze said.

He questioned why a leader from a party that has governed the country for over a decade would blame past administrations for the current power situation.

“After blaming the flawed privatization of the power sector, Tinubu’s next strategy is to begin naming individuals and spreading falsehoods against Nigerians who worked hard to dismantle the monopoly in electricity generation,” Eze added.

He further argued that Nigerians are now more aware and fully understand the damage, in his view, caused by Tinubu and his associates through poor governance.

“No amount of blackmail or propaganda aimed at gaining cheap political advantage will save Tinubu from being voted out by hungry and frustrated Nigerians as a result of his poor leadership style,” he said.

According to him, Tinubu’s power sector reforms have only resulted in corruption, persistent darkness, and job losses for electricity workers.

Eze concluded by advising the president to resign, insisting that he has failed to provide solutions to Nigeria’s worsening electricity crisis.