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When love for humanity supersedes personal ambition!
The Insight by Lateef Adewole
“Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goals; nothing on earth can help the man with wrong mental attitude.” – Thomas Jefferson.
There were series of events which happened some days ago which warranted my writing this particular article today. I had a great time engaging in some activities that gave me a lot of joy. Last week Wednesday, 16th of September, 2020, I was invited as the guest lecturer to deliver a Combined Valedictory Lecture to the graduating students in both the primary and secondary schools of a school I hold in high esteem and so much cherish.
The school is none other than Ota Total Academy (OTA), located in Otta, Ogun state. Whoever must have been following the Annual National Mathematics Competition named “Cowbellpedia”, would easily recall that name. “Odu ni won, won kii se aimo f’oloko”. It was an exciting outing. One of their students is among the top ten highest scorers in this year’s JAMB, who were honoured and given scholarships by The Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE).
Many people who watched the programme and listened to my citation were astonished to find out I am an Engineer. A COREN Registered at that and a Corporate Member of both The NSE and The Nigerian Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (NIEEE). I am also a Certified Project Management Professional (PMP). The shock from them was because, they have seen or read many of my weekly articles; “The Insight”. So, they were taken by surprise. Secondly, in my last Saturday’s article, I made mention that the twin of Petroleum and Power sectors are actually where I cut my teeth careerwise and practise my profession.
I received many reactions from people who followed my writings but did not know about my background. Many were flabbergasted. They must have assumed, albeit wrongly, that I am a journalist or at least worked or belong to that noble profession. That was not to be. I actually trained as an engineer, a journey I started about 29 years ago when I was first admitted to The Federal Polytechnic, Ilaro, Ogun state, where I got my National Diploma (ND) in Electrical and Electronics Engineering.
DisCos are struggling to distribute 4000 megawatts of electricity
On completion of my compulsory one year Industrial Training at an Engineering firm in Ibadan, I proceeded to The Polytechnic, Ibadan where I already completed one year (HND1) before I was offered another admission through Director Entry into The Federal University of Technology, Akure, Ondo State. All along, I still studied the same course.
I could recollect how many friends encouraged me to run the two programmes of HND (since I have almost finished it) and the Bachelor of Engineering degree concurrently but I refused. Why?
As a person, I believe in excellence in whatever I do and I give all my attention and energy to whatever I am involved. What is worth doing at all, is worth doing well. I was ambitious and wanted to make the best out of my study. I wanted to be the best! And I was the best in many ramifications. I graduated with First Class honours.
Not only that, I was the best graduand in the department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, the best graduand in the Faculty of Engineering and I had the second overall best result in the whole of the university when I graduated. Actually, that was one step less than my target.
All these must have been reason some people concluded that I was supposed to be in the university, lecturing and impacting knowledge. Well, that was a great idea and I love teaching and it happens to be one of the easiest vocation for me actually. I adore teachers. However, the reason for not working there is a story for another day. I even served as a teacher in a secondary school in Akwa Ibom state during my NYSC year.
After service, I worked in a communication company. But, growing up and in the university, my field of interest had always been the electrical power part. It was my major. So, I continued searching for other jobs and later got one in a downstream oil and gas company. I moved there and began a career in petroleum sector, though, I had always wanted to work upstream. What happened is also another story for another day.
This period working in the downstream exposed me to life. Real life. In the course of my career, I lived, worked and traversed the country. Ten years in the South East and South South south. Ten years across the states in the Northern Nigeria. And I was born, grew up and educated in the South-West.
I saw the highs and the lows. The rich and the poor. The old and young people. All kinds of human beings. It was a school of life. The learning experience could not be found in any book or learnt from any school. It shaped or should I say it “reshaped” my life, my thinking and my perspectives about humanity.
This I can say was largely responsible for how I was moulded and that crystalised into who I am today, snippets of which I continuously expressed in my writings. I have been called a “socialist” as my opinions tend towards the defence of the people. In fact, while employed, my colleagues nicknamed me “the masses man”, a toga I accepted, was proud of and gladly wore like a medal. I love people. I always want the betterment of the people.
This informed my not staying put in paid employment position. I was not hungry but I wanted more than earning salaries. I wanted to make more, wider impact on others, on the society, in our world, many of which I felt I could not achieve as an employee. I had to voluntarily resign my appointment and not search for any other employment despite being eminently qualified plus the experience I have garnered over the years. I opted to go and build my own company.
The decision was more or less, the toughest, riskiest and seemingly “irrational” I have ever taken in my entire life till date. Not even getting married to my beautiful and lovely wife, Latifah, was that difficult. This was because, by virtue of my position in my nuclear family as the head of the house with a wife and children, and the extended family with aged mother (my dad died five years before then, may his soul rest in peace), siblings and other dependents, I was taking a huge risk. It was scary.
But the call to greater service, love for better country, dream of affecting other peoples’ lives would not allow me to stay back. I took the plunge. Sincerely, it has been tough, but I have never regretted it one bit. Since then, I have continued in the oil and gas business, running a company in the sector. I might not have attained my dreams as far as helping others by creating employment opportunities as much as I would have wanted, but we will get there, gradually.
So far, the company is engaged in other businesses like, engineering works, construction, real estate, waste management, importation and exportation. I have continued to serve the society through my involvement in the company by providing premium services to clients at affordable costs. We created as much employment opportunities as possible, given that it is a conglomerate of many experts and professionals in different fields, particularly in engineering.
However, there was still a void in my heart. As an electrical engineer, with interest in power, the comatose state of the power sector in Nigeria remained a sore point to me. And I have written a few times about it. For many decades, there has never been anytime Nigeria had uninterrupted power supply. Though, it was better in the past due to some factors like smaller population, newer power infrastructures, and less load demands then, among others.
Over the years, as the population grew and exploded, the power infrastructures never grew proportionately. Gradually, the sector became dilapidated. And it was also under monopoly of federal government’s control. This collapse in the power sector and consequently, very poor public power supply led to crumbling of many companies and manufacturing outfits in Nigeria.
Numerous companies which previously littered the landscape of Nigeria began to fold up under the burden of crushing power outages among other factors. They started relocating to smaller, less endowed neighbouring African countries. Those who did not, went back to their home countries, started manufacturing there and exporting finished goods to Nigeria. This began the loss of jobs, increasing unemployment, loss of revenues, less contribution to GDP and so on. Nigeria and Nigerians were the losers for it.
Those who survived had the production costs of their goods skyrocketed, thereby pushing the prices of their products or services through the roof. They became non-competitive when compared to imported goods. The local prices became higher than prices in neighbouring countries, hence the lowering in export opportunities and reduction in foreign exchange earnings.
This has remained our albatross in Nigeria and perennial problem for successive governments. One administration after another made frantic efforts to revive the power industry but to no avail. Billions of dollars were pumped into it during Obasanjo’s administration on NIPP, yet darkness prevailed. Goodluck Jonathan was able to privatise it after what seemed like “war”, yet, Nigerians have not reaped the benefits of that, as witnessed in the telecommunication sector. Buhari’s government is still battling the same and here we are. Still, the tariff were hiked just few weeks ago. Should this continue forever? It is a definite no!
This question gave me the chance I needed to live my dream some years back. How do I mean? Growing up, I have seen what NEPA/PHCN could do to someone. In those days while in school, I read countless nights with kerosene lantern or candles. It was not like we have it now where we have rechargeable torchlights and lanterns all-over. And that was the lots of many other students at that time. Many still go through the same even now because, even if you have rechargeable gadgets, you will need electricity to charge them.
Every time I go around and darkness envelops the community, it breaks my heart. Those who could afford it, run generators for a limited period, “burning” their hard-earned cash on fuel on daily basis (the price of that one has been hiked too). The noise pollution, the smoke, the oil spillage, and other negative environmental impacts, the endless maintenance and repairs and regular unexpected disappointments when they refused to work, cannot be quantified.
So, what should one do? Thirteen years ago, I came across the inverter system being sold commercially to augment the intermittent power supply. I say this because, as projects at the higher institutions, inverters have been done for years but that was where they usually ended. I purchased one with a set of inverter batteries then. It served me for many years.
Along the line, the solar panels were commercially introduced to the market as well. Two years after installing my first inverter, I added solar panels to the system. Ever since, I have been relieved of the burden of providing electricity for my home. The satisfaction I derive in using the systems drove me to get involve in the business for some years now. And it has given me joy. Not because I made much money from it but because I put smiles on peoples’ faces (our clients).
There is a feeling of accomplishment I get after my company has successfully solved any of our clients’ power problems with the deployment of our solar and inverter systems solutions. Whenever we check on them for after-service performance evaluation of our installations weeks later, their happiness usually knows no bound, and I always felt fulfilled. This is because, it usually took a whole lot of convincing for people to agree to try us.
Whenever I related my experiences about the systems, people found it difficult to believe. When I told them that despite the epileptic power supply in my location, often between five and ten hours per day, if any at all, I have not had one minute of light out in my house in the past seven years! Even when the public power was out for many days (and this happened regularly).
The bigger shock to them is usually when I told people I never used generator again in over four years. With a 24/7 power supply for years, cost of using generator would have been neck-breaking. The truth is that, it is still costly to install a solar and inverter systems now in Nigeria. The initial capital investment is still high in the short term.
However, a capital outlay of it on a long term, compared to the running of generators will show enormous savings. It is incredible. The savings on expenses on power is huge. This cost-benefit analysis is what we often do for clients to get them to key into the project. They are always happy at the end. We all are always happy. I in particular, feel happy!
Since I came to the realisation that with the way public power is being handled, with a country of 200 million people struggling with 5000 Megawatt at its peak, Nigerians are on their own. This is why I have immersed myself in the project. I champion that cause now. It also makes for safer world for all humanity from environmental pollution, causing climate change that is becoming very destructive to humanity. I am a humanist!
My dream is to see my country Nigeria and my continent of Africa overcome this challenges of inadequate power supply and unending darkness. And for the people to begin to experience better and health lives and living. The industries revival, the companies springing up all over, employment opportunities soaring, productivity increasing, increase in individuals’ earning power and incomes, increasing IGR to governments and higher GDP through increasing activities in production and manufacturing sectors are parts of my vision.
While we pursue that dream and await it to come to reality, we, in our company will continue to contribute our own quota in solving power problems in our private capacity. It is our mission that must be accomplished.
May our dreams and aspirations come true.
God Bless Nigeria.
Lateef Adewole is a political analyst and social commentator can be reached by email lateefadewole23@gmail.com or via WhatsApp +2348020989095 and @lateef_adewole on Twitter
