Life, in the Federal Capital, since the coming of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration is rapidly becoming a hotbed for excessive taxation and embarrassing revenue drive; the spate of sudden hikes in the cost of almost every essential service has not only left residents miffed and exhausted, but generally depressed.
Just imagine sleeping and waking up without electricity. That’s what the Abuja Electricity Development Company (AEDC) has turned Abuja, the once bubbling Federal Capital in recent times. It is now almost predictable and common to see motorists carrying jerry cans to work daily; that routine has become a “must” part of their plan going forward otherwise they risk throwing their families into darkness because there would be no light when they returned-neither any recognizable schedule for the abrupt seizures by AEDC. Besides, without electricity, residents are denied the privilege to “charge” their phones, or have water pumped from tanks; these are necessities that go with a steady electricity supply not to mention the fact that the air becomes stiff and hot at night with no one able to sleep comfortably. Though terrible, it remains a mystery why the AEDC choose to become drab and unreliable in this dispensation; it is either officially out to truncate President Tinubu’s agenda or they are merely being mischievous; whichever, it is clear they are out to stoke tensions and perhaps instigate revote.
For all we know, the timeline for their continued existence may well be over. It is time for the relevant authorities to wield the big stick and root out the renegade officials from their corrupt positions. What other confirmation do we need to take a drastic step? With no electricity, how can the city thrive? How can they progress with such prolonged seizures of light, sometimes draggingfor 48 hours? Who does that? Yet, investigation has proven that they get steady first-class bulk wheeling supply from the TCN, which, for some strange reasons aren’t put to good use; yet, residents struggle to pay the exorbitant rates imposed on them! If nothing else, this nuisance circle must come to an abrupt end. AEDC cannot deny being heavily funded and so must be prepared to give account. This is the time for President Tinubu and members of the National Assembly to step in and save Abuja residents from further torture.
What they don’t understand is that prolonged seizures like being experienced inevitably lead to complications such as frustration which in turn leads to depression and ultimately suicide; Whoever is in charge has practically demonstrated unforgivable ineptitude. This is the major cause of disenchantment with many households turning to Solar systems to mitigate the malaise. The hum of generators too has not helped matters and now requires legislation within the Estates to control. If Abuja residents are not suffering from power outages, they are sunk in survival wars with several Task Forces with the Abuja Municipal Area Council, (AMAC) taking the lead. Close behind are those from FCDA, and many others in formative stages. They call it aggressive “revenue drive” and walk into your office uninvited, access you, and slam you with hefty bills! A particular official from MAAC invaded my office and accused me of owning a printer”, “television” and therefore must pay charges! I couldn’t utter a word; Was I dreaming or in a state of dystopia? The fellow ended up slapping me with a bill of 250k and giving me an ultimatum to pay within two weeks or have my office locked up!
On their part, FCDA says I must pay the tenement rate for operating the office and also for my house! I am trying to come to terms with this is not outright robbery! Government officials sit in their offices and devise various means of ripping off members of the public; this could have happened in an insane society; but this is Nigeria, our dear native land! We have already been boxed in and squeezed dry by roguish government officials who have long shut out the ordinary businessman from competing for tender jobs; that feat was achieved by the stringent requirements forcibly established such as what they call CAC, PENCOM, ITF, TAX CLEARANCE, and of late CAC Annual Returns. Put together, these requirements cost approximately several million to acquire only to be renewed a year later! Perhaps you may want to ask where the money to file for the Annual Returns is coming from, when “contracts” are often monopolized by the same thieving class! This is the dilemma faced by Abuja residents. With no one smiling and ready to give listening ears, the confusion is bound to be greater as the time for payment of school fees and house rents shifts closer.
Now, there is a sense of nostalgia hovering around; and people are asking where things go wrong. The demanding environment, the cynical law enforcers and the crippling taxation; the suffocating surroundings, and the forced presence of all is well; From stark optimism, the twisted situation has now snowballed into one of pessimism; there is nowhere to hide for the employed much less the jobless! In a sane society, all these would have been addressed hopefully, but not in ours that is unfolding. And you want to ask whether this is for real? Oh yes, it is, the answer! The once comfortable Abuja city is fast becoming a haven for the winner-take-all all. The pain is becoming unbearable.
Soon panic will set in and who knows? Let’s skip the staggering cost of petrol, the spiraling cost of food items and other staple commodities; I know we are already in a police state where Road Safety and until recently VIO members would hijack you on your way to work against your wish; where the police now empowered to look out for “third party insurance and such other embarrassing stuff; the dearth of morals and the rapidly spreading indiscipline amongst motorists; the tension ready to ignite any moment; Imagine asking a small time business man to pay tenement rate on a rented property! To narrow issues, this is what confronts Abdurrahman, a small-time self-employed businessman daily. His experience is, to say the least unedifying, most times he returns from work drained and flustered; both his office and house were thrown into constant darkness, and having to cough out hard-earned money to fulfill common obligations; Abdurrahman, like many others who couldn’t stand the unbearable heat and has not yet made enough money to spare on Solar, find himself gripped by fear of failure; he lives somewhere in Gaduwa District, that ought to have been an exclusive area.
But Abdulrahman is not one to deceive himself; he would later drive out to get some five litters of petrol to power his generator, to save his family from unbearable heat. The AEDC would later stretch the power outage until the petrol in the generating set dries up! This has practically been his experience aside from the harassment at the hands of AMAC officials! This is just one of many scary webs that have sparked fear in the minds of Abuja residents; The noose appears to be getting tighter with each passing day as more and more traps emerge by the day, thus wiping away any form of enthusiasm—just like living in bondage.
