As Lagos Monetizes the Sun, May We not Pay for the Air We Breathe -By Abdulkadir Salaudeen

Nigerians do not merely struggle to survive; they struggle to live without light. Darkness has become a common denominator for most citizens. If a person is not trapped in the darkness of kidnappers’ dens, they are certain to face the darkness caused by the recurring collapse of the national grid.

The experience differs by location. In some parts of the country, people doubt the grid exists at all. For them, electricity is a term encountered only in the dictionary.

Does Nigeria still have a functional national grid? Why is the entire nation in darkness? During President Tinubu’s recent visit to Jos, the airport could not provide ten minutes of power to honour his ‘generous’ ten-minute meeting with survivors of the senseless killings — killings enabled by maladministration and misgovernance.

Let me share some sad news. I do not mean to be pessimistic. We may not have stable electricity again. If we are lucky to have stable power in the future, that would be perhaps after the Tinubu government in 2027 or 2031 — as the case may be — or when he is no more, should he become life president. The reason is simple: he, and the presidency, no longer need the national grid, because greed teaches selfishness.

Since it was announced that Aso Villa now runs on solar-powered electricity, I have a feeling Nigerians will hug darkness for a very long time. Many have realized this and become hopeless. Out of that hopelessness, those who have the means are installing solar panels to say no to darkness. They choose self-reliance in power generation because the government has proven, beyond doubt, to be unreliable.

However, the growing number of solar users has become a source of concern to the Lagos State Government. As if on behalf of God, or with God’s permission, Lagos now monetizes the sun — a free gift of nature. Solar users in government-owned housing estates must seek government approval before installing panels. The approval, of course, is not free. It comes with a fee. If you think you’re smart to be self-reliant, the government in Lagos is saying you will be punished with a fine for being smart.

Since a clip of some Lagos ministry officials harassing a resident at the Millennium Housing Estate over an unapproved solar panel went viral, Nigerians have not stopped asking: Where else on earth are citizens charged a ‘sun tax’?

The question is valid. But Lagos is not the first to impose fees on solar panels. It is only that the rationale differs. In the few cities where such fees exist globally, they apply because users remain connected to the national grid; they are not off-grid. In Lagos, the fees have nothing to do with the grid. They have everything to do with greed, going by official explanation. I will come back to this.

For now, the state insists a solar installation counts as an “alteration” requiring a government permit — at a cost. This begs the question: What exactly does a solar installation alter? The government says structural changes to buildings need approval under the Lagos State Urban and Regional Planning and Development Law.

In light of this, government officials claim solar installation “may” affect the integrity or design of residential structures. I wonder why a government that fails to protect the integrity of Nigeria and Nigerians is so obsessed with protecting the integrity of building design. Isn’t this a misplacement of priorities? Are we mentally stable? Isn’t this shameful?

A government that should bury its head in shame for its inability to provide something as basic as electricity is now on the prowl, taxing an already bleeding populace for finding an alternative to power supply. Isn’t it shameful that the ‘mega city’ single-handedly and painstakingly built by Tinubu cannot provide electricity? What exactly is metropolitan about Lagos if Lagosians, like remote villagers, have no power supply in the 21st century?

As I wrote earlier, Lagos isn’t the first city to introduce solar installation fees — or, preferably, a ‘sun tax’. We read that Spain tried imposing a tax on self-consumed solar in 2015 but repealed it after three years in 2018. Why? The European Union called it illegal. Spanish citizens called it stupid. This columnist joins other Lagosians to call fees on solar installation stupid and ridiculous. It is ridiculous because sunlight is a free gift of nature. The government plays no role in the sun’s appearance and does not determine when it sets.

India, at one point, also introduced solar fees but banned them in 2022 and directed the states to issue free permits. Why? It was reasoned, and rightly so, that sunlight is not a privilege. It is a utility the government does not provide, cannot provide, and will never provide. Citizens get it free from God. No number of solar panels installed could reduce the supply of sunlight or make the sun collapse like our national grid, which habitually collapses.

The government might try to justify such levies by claiming solar users are connected to the national grid. That argument will not stand, for several reasons. Here are three. First, to impose levies on solar users, there must be a functional grid that is relatively stable. Second, there should be net-metering that allows solar users to feed the starving grid.

In serious countries, the relationship between solar users and the grid is give-and-take. It is called net-metering. This is how it works: when the sun is high and your panels produce more power than your house needs, the excess flows into the grid and your meter runs backwards. At night, you draw from the grid and the meter runs forwards. At the end of the month you pay only for the “net” difference. If you gave the grid more than you took, the electricity company owes you credits. The grid becomes your battery. You help it by day; it helps you by night. Lagos and Nigeria should learn from Kenya, Germany and even South Africa. That is how those countries treat citizens who solve power problems with their own money. If the government cannot make solar panels and other solar gadgets cheaper, it should not punish us for finding a legitimate way out of darkness.

The third reason the “connected to the national grid” argument will not stand is simple: not all solar users are connected to the grid. Many are off-grid and get no backup from the grid. It would be crass greed for the government to impose levies on them. Lagos cannot tax Lagosians for sunlight. This must be vehemently rejected. If Lagos, or Nigeria, wants to charge solar users ‘grid availability fees’, then it should make the grid available.

Lastly, if residents in government-owned estates are taxed for sunlight today and the rest of us look away, we will be the next target. Again, if rulers in Lagos are allowed to have their way, rulers in other states will start imposing a ‘sun tax’ on citizens in copycat fashion. If they ultimately succeed, the masses will soon pay for the air they breathe. We may also be taxed for the wells we dig in our compounds, followed by a rainy-season tax for rain that falls on our streets.

May God heal this country. The country is sick.

Abdulkadir Salaudeen

salahuddeenabdulkadir@gmail.com