As a nation takes some conscious steps on the human development trajectory, there are scenarios and melodramatic occurrences one wishes they rather are consigned to some reference points on the dark side of history rather than having to be replayed even across ages and generations, signaling a people who have neither learnt anything nor dared to change anything. Yes, it has remained in the news that Nigeria is once again enveloped in total darkness following the collapse of the national grid for about the hundredth time.
This is the dilemma of a nation whose leadership over the years consistently demonstrated lack of political will and sincere commitment to planning and infrastructural development. Even God clearly understood the primacy of light to the creative and developmental process and so at the very beginning had to speak it forth. Before that remarkable turning point, everything was void and without form.
That on its own is supposed to be an instructive lesson to anyone who finds himself or herself in leadership position and is development conscious and transformation driven. Nigeria has regrettably remained a nation in darkness and there’s not much progress to be made in the circumstance except to grope and groan bemourning lost opportunities. One of my major concerns arising from the unfortunate and avoidable incidents leading to the indefinite closure of the two campuses of the university of Benin at Ugbowo and Ekenwa last week Thursday had to do with the fact that we have gone through that road over and over.
Reports have it that for close to seven hours on Wednesday, the Benin- Lagos highway was blocked by students protesting the lack of electricity and water at the campuses.The protesting students said the situation had persisted for about three months amidst an unbearably high cost of living.The electricity supply to the university had been disconnected by BEDC over what was said to be mounting debt occasioned by the recent hike in electricity tariff.
The university’s monthly light bill was said to have jumped from about N80million to N280 million, forcing it to resort to power generators and the rationing of power to the hostels on the two campuses to about three hours daily.
The university represents the gown which stands for light and learning for development. Nigeria is currently grappling with the challenge of darkness. The expectation is that the solution should come from institutions like the university of Benin which was founded in 1970 as an institute of technology and accorded the status of a full-fledged university by NUC on 1st July 1971.
If after 53 years of operating as a university that had its offshoot from an institute of technology with all the research grant it has attracted, the university of cannot diversify it’s source of electricity from BEDC and the national grid then the objective of the founding fathers which is to advance knowledge, wisdom and understanding by teaching and research with the ultimate purpose of service to community must have been jeorpadised.
An institution that set out some 54 years ago on a mission to develop the human mind to be creative, innovative, competent in areas of specialization, knowledgeable in entrepreneur and dedicated to service has not demonstrated enough industry or life transforming innovation as an ivory tower that should show the light for the town or community as the case may be to find the way. How on earth is the university going to generate N280million monthly to pay BEDC when it ought to have long developed the capacity to cater for it’s own power supply and earn some revenue by providing solution to the persisting darkness in the community. If the ivory tower cannot provide solution to the nagging issues of the town, who else can?. My take therefore is that the management of the university has failed the vision of the founding fathers.
They have also let formal education get on the way of learning which is essential to growth and development. Of what value, indeed is education that cannot anticipate and orchestrate development or certificate that cannot add value to life and living?. It was also wrong for the students to come out to the Benin-Lagos highway to protest power outage on campus. Their protest ought to have been restricted within the campus but ultimately the situation ought to have been seen from the perspective of the failure of a system with a deep resolve to make a difference not by blocking the flow of traffic and unleashing mayhem on innocent members of society. The time has come for us to reprogram our education to be tailored to providing the needs of society.
Postscript
Last week, the Delta State government constituted a 20 member Flood Disaster Management Committee to put in place all the necessary machinery in motion to contend with and contain imminent flooding disaster. This followed the Nigeria Meteorological Agency, NIMET prediction that 148 local government areas in 31 States fall within the high flood risk areas while part of 249 LGAs in 36 states fall within the moderate flood risk areas. Delta falls amongst these flood tension States and it is a proactive step to have put up a committee in place.
Sensitization is key to the assignment of the committee. Deltans in flood plane communities urgently need to be convinced on the need to be relocated early enough to the safe upper plane. Of what use will it be that one is so attached to an ancestral homeland and end up being swept off by flood and joining the ancestors earlier than would have been the case?.Our people also need to be better educated on the best ways to manage our environment as nature’s gift bequeathed to mankind.
We must respect and comply to the planning rules and regulations. There’s no way we will keep building on flood paths and waterways and not expect massive flooding. It has also become compelling to demand the dredging of the River Niger.
A colaboration between the Federal Government and the affected States will once again open the bowels of the river for increased intensity of rainfall as is the case now.
