TVC E. Engr. Godwin Osakwe RTD Head of TCN generation a guest at TVC Breakfast Show (TalkTime) on the 27th of July 2016, hasargued that, some of the equipment has gone beyond their life span, and as such the government needs to do something if we must have constant electricity in the country.
Despite all attempts by the capitalist ruling class in Nigeria and its big business town criers, to portray the privatization of the electricity sub-sector in Nigeria in good light, the reality has continued to show that it is nothing but sheer fraud and deceit. It is an attempt to rob the public in the interest of the few rich in Nigeria and globally, albeit using the general disillusionment in the current state of nation’s power sector, vis-à-vis erratic power supply and exploitation of people through the dubious bills. More than this, the current attempt at auctioning the state utility corporation, Power Holding Corporation of Nigeria (PHCN), again reflects the bankruptcy of the rent-seeking, predatory and clearly unproductive capitalist class in Nigeria – both in politics and big business.
The virtual collapse of electricity infrastructures is caused by the deliberate plundering and sabotaging of the corporation by the capitalist class in both big business and politics. The privatization of the electricity has nothing to do with solving the horrifying experience Nigerians have been made to go through. It is on the contrary, a means by which big businesses across the board, both local and foreign, plan to profit from the misery and frustration of the generality of Nigerians. But this does not prevent the government for cynically exploiting its own utter failure to provide electricity, mainly due to almost unprecedented looting of federal funds meant to boost the power supply, as an argument in favour of selling off the industry to its cronies and paymasters.
As the Nigerian government’s organized electricity privatization is being further enmeshed in chronic fraud and deceit, the labour movement especially must take a clear revolutionary stand against this corruption-ridden policy. This privatization if allowed, will lead to massive catastrophe for the nation’s economy and cause untold hardship for the working and poor people who are already living on the fringe of poverty. While government may seem to be having its ways for now in the power privatization madness, the impending catastrophe and misery it will ultimately bring will make the necessity for mass struggle against privatization necessary.
Indeed, PHCN privatisation is a dead-end as recent revelations of sleaze already shows. Even if before now illusion in privatisation of power could be understood from the stand point of people’ s frustration with erratic or non- supply of electricity, the current revelations that corrupt former military and civilian leaders like Babangida, Abukakar and Obasanjo have vested interests in some companies participating in the bid already compromises the whole process and makes any further illusion in privatisation by labour leaders completely impermissible.
What are your thoughts on this?
