Reflecting the painful paradox of the scarcity of the processed products obtained from some significant natural resources Nigeria is abundantly blessed with, we cannot but mention that of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) which we often queue for in an oil-producing country.

Baffling also is that of insecurity in the same nation that spends trillions of naira on the annual budgetary allocation to curb terrorism, banditry, kidnapping and armed robbery.

One other source of concern is that of the persisting epileptic electric power supply, which has adverse effects on the economy.

Unfortunately, that again has been playing out in Nigeria endowed with dependable, natural sources of power such as the sun, wind, water, coal and of course, masses of biodegradable wastes.

What that scandalous spectacle portrays is the missing link of creative, resourceful and visionary political leadership.

That querulous issue came up recently when within 48 hours last week, on Tuesday and Thursday, the nation was repeatedly plunged into darkness when the National Grid collapsed twice – the fourth time in November and the 11th time this year.

Although the Federal Government has attributed the repeated grid collapse, which have become an embarrassment to Nigeria, to many factors including aged and ageing facilities, lack of maintenance and requisite investment, as well as alleged sabotage by unarmed forces, it, however, raises the question of what all the previous governments have been doing in order to improve the grid.

Power outages have been with us for quite some time but there is no denying the fact that it has worsened under the President Bola Tinubu-led government raising several burning questions.

For instance, how do we explain the painful fact that Nigeria, home to the largest population of 218.5 million (2022) on the African continent, and having virtually most of the sources of power generation, is ranked fifth behind four other countries?

These include South Africa, having a population of 59.89 million (2020) but has a capacity of 63,410 MW, Egypt, with 111 million people boasting of 59,250 MW and Algeria with a population of 44.9 million generating 21,710 MW.

In fact, credible answers to this recurring ugly decimal of pain-inflicting leadership has become imperative because of the critical role steady electric power supply plays, in our lives, as individuals, communities and countries.

Electricity has over the centuries upgraded our quality of life, from access to quality and nutritious food, potable water, bathing, housing, clothing, transportation. The others are education, healthcare delivery and entertainment.

How do we explain the painful fact that Nigeria, home to the largest population of 218.5 million (2022) on the African continent, and having virtually most of the sources of power generation, is ranked fifth…?

Worrisome still, is that of the key role it plays within the productive activities of different countries, Nigeria inclusive. That is especially so in the value chain of the food industry; from production through processing to preservation and marketing of the products.

It also significantly impacts on the activities of the small and medium scale enterprises and the bigger paradigm shift of the large scale manufacturing companies.

Unfortunately, the freaky power outages and inadequate supply of electricity has been highlighted as one of the reasons responsible for the exit of some notable multinational manufacturing companies, numbering over 16 since May 29, 2023. Some of them include tech start-ups such as Lazarpay, Microsoft, as well as industry giants such as GlaxoSmithKline, Proctor and Gamble while in the oil industry, Exxon, Shell, TotalEnergies have called it quits.

With Unilever, Equinox, Bayer and GSK also gone, massive job losses have had their telling effects on the economy, worsening the hunger in the land.

Not left out are the local manufacturing companies, which the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) claims is responsible for the closing down of as many as 767 of them over the past 18 months according to the Association.

Such a scary economic situation calls for urgent intervention. On the best way forward, though the Electoral Act 2023 constitutional amendment restored the authority of state governments to generate electric power to the pre-1999 level, the conflicts persist. That has to do with the provisions of the state and the federal oversight.

This definitely is one of the crooked areas to be smoothed out by the National Assembly, either through a constitutional review or by its total overhaul.

Given the instance of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with MILHOUSE to establish a 66 MW coal power plant, back in November 2017 the dynamics of power generation in Nigeria has to shift, away from the overbearing influence of the Federal Government.

With that fully in place, attention will be focused on alternative sources of power generation deploying natural resources such as wind, hydropower, solar, biomass and geothermal as has been done in the United States (US).

That is according to the Energy Information Administration. If China, which boasts of the highest power generation through the Three Gorges Dam, could provide 103,647 billion kilowatts; Nigeria should take a cue from that. The time for sustainable solutions to the epileptic power supply is now.

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