Last week, the federal government banned importation of commonly-used and relatively cheap brand of generators called “I pass my neighbour” by Nigerians. The ban has perplexed Nigerians who are still trying to figure out whether reducing air pollution, named as the main reason for the decision, was the real aim.
Opara Prince, the Naij.com contributor, says the small generators were having a negative impact on the environment, but the ban on small generators is having adverse impacts on the lives of millions of Nigerians. Is there a more environmentally and Nigerian-friendly solution?
Comptroller general of customs, Col. Hammed Ali (rtd), has recently placed an embargo on the importation of small generators popularly called “I pass my neighbour” (IPMN) on the account of air pollution and health risks this class of generating set poses to the populace.
From a perspective entrenched in coherency and fairness, I am neither in support nor against this, as I refuse to be an enemy of the administration that has shown progressiveness. I also abjure subscribing to a pro-elite and anti-lower-class camarilla.
While a government that indicates an interest in the wellbeing of the citizenry through promoting a healthier and safer environment deserves commendation, to forestall a feeling of bias and enactment of reforms that might seem to favour a ruling class at the expense of the lesser, it is pertinent to thread with caution and employ a mix of tactical and holistic approaches in policy implementation, taking into consideration the various social classes and the relativity of the impact of these policies vis-à-vis the parties involved.
The previous ban I can’t help but term as selective as it targets a significant amount of some unfortunate/distinguished groups. One group is 110 million poor Nigerians, this same class constitutes the majority of voters who turnout during an electioneering and for a fact are responsible for putting the current government into power. Another group affected are the Small and medium-sized enterprises (SME)’s whose generating sets are purportedly the sole culprits responsible for carbon emission in Nigeria.
The emergence of this trade prohibition comes barely a week after the inauguration of the minister of power, housing and works, Babatunde Raji Fashola, an individual whom I highly reverence for his work ethics and a man who has gained notoriety for his pro-elite mode of governance which has proved to be result-oriented. It becomes tough to not harbour a suspicious perception of the minister being the most probable instigator of the previous prohibition considering his past track records.
From an angle this ban may have actually lent some credence to the conspiracy theory of some generator-importing cabals being behind the unprecedented failure of the power sector despite the trillions of naira expended since 1999 to improve the workability of the sector.
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