By Kristi Pelzel
You’ve heard the story before. A foreign organization comes into Nigeria with billion-dollar deals to make things better, only to read about how little things changed, and another foreign organization steps in to make things better “again.”
No one should care more about Nigeria than the Nigerian.
Suppose Nigeria doesn’t care about corruption cycles, failing infrastructure, and lack of quality public services. In that case, it’s challenging to think that foreign support will become a sustainable solution.
If a group comes in and builds a metal tower, for example, powering 300,000 homes, will the tower be stripped and re-sold for parts? Will the person installing the tower damage it so that a repair order generates more money on a repair ticket they can steal from? We’ve seen these scenarios play out, more so than what you’d see in a developed country.
“Reports on the then Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN), you need to tip them to get them to rectify a problem. Even more worrisome is the report that transformers were being vandalized by PHCN officials to warrant either replacement or repair. There is a diversion of development resources for private gain, lost tax revenue, negative impact on the quality of infrastructure and public services, slowing of economic growth, and loss of virtues, values, and principles” (K.Umana, Corruption in Nigeria: Causes, Effects, and Solutions, 2018).
By now, we all know the issues at the top, politically and financially, and the bottom, on the ground. Dominant patterns of corruption include low wages with little to no benefits, job security issues, pressure from family members to provide financial assistance to friends and family as a cultural responsibility, and a system that allows for corruption to take place with poor security and oversight, making it tempting for people who feel desperate not to take advantage.
“Government regulations and policy on the provision of electricity in Nigeria encourages corruption in the electricity sector. Over 500 staff have been dismissed in the last two years for corruption and other related offenses” (TMLT Editorials 2020).
In the latest news, the Federal Government of Nigeria has partnered with German-based Siemens for a $2 billion USD power deal, under the Presidential Power Initiative (PPI), stating it will save the nation over $1 billion annually. Saleh Mamman, Minister of Power, said, “This significant, timely and high-level intervention between President Buhari and Chancellor Merkel addresses critical infrastructure deficits in the value chain and helps reposition the power sector to become more attractive, viable and investable.”
Germany is not the only foreign power and energy support in the country. A Chinese and Nigerian hydropower plant is under construction in Zungeru, Niger State. “Promisingly in 2021, once finished, this 700-Megawatt-plant will boost Nigeria’s hydropower generation capacity by 30%, providing Nigerian households and factories with clean energy” (Ambassador Zhou Pingjian, 2020).
The Russian Federation Ambassador to Nigeria, Alexey Shebarshin, is in discussions on collaboration with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) across gas and power sectors. “Nigeria is one of Africa’s leading crude oil producers, as the nation’s energy sector remains one of the most underdeveloped on the African continent. Refineries are inefficient and underperforming, leading to over-dependence on importation to meet local demand. – It’s expected that Russia’s interest in developing the sector will help to proffer solution” (Kyari, Nairametrics, 2020).
Foreign organizations and governments are involved in solutions to Nigeria’s most fundamental issues once again. With all of the support and money, why is this still an issue?
These projects mean more power and energy for the region, which means more jobs, access to education, and what should be considered a basic human need in the year 2020.
However, this top-down approach to improving the energy sector must be paired with a bottom-up solution to address poverty, crime, and education at the same time. It’s more than turning on the lights. It’s helping people understand that the ‘quick-fix’ payoff of stealing from a job site or skimming off the top of a fund will perpetuate the majority of the citizens’ situations.
The United Nations Sustainable Development Goal number seven aims to target affordable and clean energy. Electricity and consistent power extend the hours available for work and school, makes streets safer at night, eliminates using unhealthy generators that burn gas right next to a home where people are sleeping and children play, give way to more digital real-time information, supports clean cooking, and improves health care facilities.
The longer people stay unconnected, the longer they will stay behind, and I cannot stress enough the idea that no one care more about you than you. Nigerians need to care more about their energy issue than foreign countries.
While I think supporting these global partnerships in the energy sector are good positive steps toward raising the poverty line, many other steps must be taken parallel to ensure an outcome that doesn’t end in corruption, policy failure, or worse, actions by citizens which make it impossible to do business and make great strides as a nation.
Kristi Pelzel is an international communications consultant and advisor working across U.S. and African markets. Her industry experience spans 10-years in broadcast, digital, and social media communication. Kristi holds a B.A. from the Academy of Art University, San Francisco, California, and an M.A. from Georgetown University, Washington, D.C.
These are all facts and if digested without sentiment we stand the chance of scoring progressive points.