The Chancellor of Achievers University, Owo, Ondo state, Hon. Yakubu Dogara, has warned that unless the energy crisis is addressed, the quest for industrialization would continue to be a pipe dream.
Dogara, a former speaker of the House of Representatives stated this at the 14th convocation of the Achievers University on Saturday in Owo.
“How ludicrous is it when I hear people talk about transitioning from a consumer nation to a producer nation when we cannot generate enough electricity to power our homes after years of massive investment in that sector without any demonstrable results?” Dogara queried.
He said in order to make progress, the transmission, distribution should be broken into manageable units across the zones in the country.
Dogora said , “The concentration of power provision systems into giant/unmanageable units is a big mistake, as is evident from the frequent collapse of the national grid and supply disruptions.
He said the persistent collapse of the national grid has continued to cause huge economic losses in terms of lost gross domestic product (GDP.)
The former speaker said, “The smartest thing to do is to borrow a leaf from other nations.
“Breaking up the supply architecture into more manageable units, and involving the private sector, is highly recommended.
“Also, allowing mini grids to sprout all across the country, should be part of our overall long term strategy.
“Let no one beguile us, for without adequate and reliable power supply, our dream of a robust Micro, Small and Medium and Small Enterprises (MSME) ecosystem would remain only that, a dream!”
He attributed the crisis in the power sector to lack of leadership, stressing that effective leadership will tackle the problems.
According to him, “Any transformational leader must be brave especially when those you are leading are depending on you to show up when it is really, really back breaking to do so…”
Dogara expressed optimism that with what President Bola Tinubu has done, “there is a glimmer of hope that we may well be dealing with a leader who is prepared to lead with unbridled courage even at personal cost.
“With what President Tinubu has done, whether it is the freeing of LGAs from the chokehold of economic stagnation the states had hitherto subjected them to or the groundbreaking bold tax reforms proposals he has placed before the National Assembly, I see a glimmer of hope that we may well be dealing with a leader who is prepared to lead with unbridled courage even at personal cost.
“It gladdens my heart that we are now dealing with a leader who is not avoiding stubborn tasks and very much unwilling to put off difficult conversations.
“With him, courage has become a habit and that habit has the power to transform our leadership as the miracles we are desperately yearning for may well lie in the tasks and difficult conversations we are avoiding.
“I have said before and let me say it again that I support the President’s tax reforms not because they are perfect but because it is the right thing to do.
“However, I must concede the fact that those opposed to it have the right to do so but I do not share their jaundiced nay tenuous and puerile position that because they disagree with some aspects of the reforms, then the reforms must be withdrawn or killed.
“Leaders who are dedicated to reforms and progress don’t make such poor judgment calls, at all.
“What is acceptable, to my mind, is that all those opposed to the reforms should clearly spell out what they are disagreeing with and make better propositions than that of the president for us to compare and contrast in order to make informed choices.
“Even laws are subject to amendment when we discover there are mischiefs embedded in them that must be cured, much less proposals that have not been passed into law.
“For me, I did say because so many families are hurting, I do not subscribe to hiking any form of taxes and that the issue of derivation should be clearly spelt out in a manner that would leave no room for prevarication.
“I have my proposal in that regard and have no hesitation to stand my ground on any forum.
“ I urge all of us who disagree with any aspect of the proposed reforms to also do so. But to say that our response to a call for long overdue beneficial reforms is that we should do nothing, is either bad politics or share buffoonery or a combination of both.
