Is Solarization of Aso Rock a Top Priority as Nigerians Grope in Darkness? -By Abdulkadir Salaudeen

As widely reported, the State House has increased the budgetary allocation to the State House Headquarters from N47.11bn in the proposed 2025 budget to N57.11bn in the approved version. This is not budget padding that we are used to. It is budget puffing. The State House budget was puffed—inflated—by a staggering 10 billion naira which was allocated for the installation of a solar mini-grid at the Presidential Villa.

As usual, the news was coldly received by Nigerians. “How selfish could our leaders be?” This is one of the reactions. It comes in form of a question. I wanted to answer the question, then I realized the question is rhetorical. Those who asked the question know the answer better than he who overheard the question. But why should one ask a question when the answer is known? It is just to express consternation. When Nigerians react painfully and disappointedly to things like this, I always find their disappointment disappointing.

I am honestly not disappointed. My reason? I don’t consider the current leadership  of Nigeria as people capable of benefiting Nigerians by anything and in anyway. This is not to say there could be nothing good from their actions or inactions. It is just to prepare one’s mind that as Nigerians, we have neither right nor privilege to benefit anything from this government. When benefits come, in whatever form, we should see the benefits as accidental outcomes of policies that are not intended to make things easy for the masses. Our rulers behave as if the right thing to do, and their only mandate, is to punish us for electing them. This is why they keep telling us to smile as they continue to whip us. They defend their profligacy to spite the masses.

As usual, the approval of a N10 billion solar energy project for the State House, Aso Rock, has been defended. Rather than describing it as the selfish hedonism that it is, the Presidency said it as a strategic long-term investment in sustainability and energy efficiency. On his verified X  handle for instance, Presidential spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, said the project is in line with  global standards for presidential residences. Can someone ask Onanuga if the global standard is to keep the masses in darkness? What about the banding of Nigerians arbitrarily into those that deserve stable power supply and those that do not deserve it? He wrote: “The White House in Washington D.C. uses solar power.” Thus, onanuga argued: “We are not reinventing the wheel. We are following a tested and globally accepted model for powering important national institutions sustainably.”

Why this solar project at this point in time? Could it be that the State House which falls within Band A finds the electricity bill—which had increased astronomically since last year—too scaring to foot? If the State House cannot foot electricity bill with all the resources at its proposal, where does the government expect Nigerians—with lesser fortune—to source for the resources to pay huge electricity bill monthly? It has now dawned on Nigerians banded in Band A that the stable electricity supply (let’s assume it is even stable) is not to make them smile. It is to make them weep as they pay through the nose until their diminishing resources are strategically and completely sapped.

Sometime last year, April 2024 to be precise, tariffs for Band A consumers increased from N68/kWh to N225/kWh, representing an increase of over 230 per cent. The implication of this increase on household expenses and businesses is well known. It is deleterious to general survival, to say the least. Even though it was slightly reduced to N209.5/kWh after some few months, it remains unbearable to consumers. Perhaps to avoid the unbearable bill, the State House, being a top consumer, allocated N10bn to what it called “Solarisation of the Villa with Solar Mini Grid” through the Federal Executive Council (FEC) during its last meeting.

Solar Energy field

With the solarization of the Presidential Villa, the Presidency has saved itself from the shameful incessant collapse of the national grid which averagely occures once in a month. This ordinarily should be an upside—an achievement—to celebrate. The downside, however, is that Nigerians should increase their knowledge on how to survive in darkness which had been part of their existence before now. In other words, it is a wishful thinking to expect our rulers in Abuja to prioritize fixing the national grid incessant collapse for improved power distribution (and affordability) now that it has strategically sorted itself out of that national disgrace.

Many are of the opinion that N10bn is too staggering. Just to provide solar energy in a single location? They are right. But that, to me, isn’t the real issue. If our rulers in Abuja would allocate staggeringly unbelievable funds to embark on a similar solar project nationwide to provide stable electricity to the greatest number of Nigerians, and if that amounts to greatest happiness, who will criticize government’s profligacy. However, the issue is that our rulers have adopted two distinct philosophies: one for themselves, the other for the masses. Hedonism for themselves; asceticism for the masses.

Hedonism, as defined in dictionaries, is “the belief that pleasure or happiness is the highest good in life. Some hedonists, such as the Epicureans, have insisted that pleasure of the entire mind, not just pleasure of the senses, is the highest good.” Ordinarily one might ask: what is wrong in one’s devotion to pleasure? Well, that might not be instrically wrong. It is wrong when rulers desire pleasure for themselves but preach asceticism to the masses. This is when altruism is completely divorced from hedonism. Hedonism minus altruism is the definition of leaders who throw the masses into darkness but cannot tolerate it for themselves.

If, as an informed Nigerian, one does not see the general profligacy of this government, and particularly the N10bn solarization of Presidential Villa, it could be as a result of being infected (or is it afflicted?) with one of these three diseases. One, one is either a Yoruba irredentist (ethnic jingoist) who see Tinubu as a kinsman whose failure must be seen as success. Two, one is a Muslim-Muslim bigot who thinks the evidence of being a religiously committed Muslim is to defend the lackluster and so-called Muslim-Muslim Government, no matter what. Or, three, one is an APC loyalist who thinks a proof of party loyalty is to defend party’s shamelessness and to insist darkness is light while he (himself) continues to grope in darkness.

Solar energy power panel

I don’t have any of these diseases. May all Nigerians be cured from them. They are terrible diseases. When we are all cured, then, all hands shall be on deck to develop the country.

Abdulkadir Salaudeen 

salahuddeenabdulkadir@gmail.com