Rotimi Omoniyi, a former Principal Manager of Building at the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN), has a compelling story for two reasons. First, his incredible power of recall. And then, his three and a half decades of invaluable experience at the Power Holding Company of Nigeria PHCN which was formerly known as the National Electric Power Authority (NEPA).
He provides essential lessons on the persistent challenges facing Nigeria’s power sector.
Early life
Born in March 1961 in Ijebu Ife, Ogun State, Omoniyi had the rare privilege of growing up in both the old Bendel State and Lagos State.
Shortly after his birth, his parents moved to the Midwest region, where he spent his early childhood. He attended All Saints Primary School, Ubiaja, Bendel State, which is now in Edo, before moving to Lagos to live with my auntie, Mrs Alice Oyenigba
In Lagos, he began taking common entrance exams for various schools and was eventually admitted to the fledgling Ijebu Ife Community Grammar School in Ogun State.
Omoniyi is quick to recall that though the school was just starting, it did not compromise on excellence.
“I wrote the exams for the school at St. Jude’s school, Ebute Meta, Lagos,” he says. “I know a few people who attempted the exams but didn’t pass. It was a new school, but the standard was high, and the plan was to get the best set of students as pioneers.”
IiCGS expeeience
He confesses that coming to the school in 1975 opened a new chapter in his life. “I still remember many of my classmates and can picture how we sat in class and related to one another.
The beauty of our set was that we had nobody to look up to. We were the pioneer students. We had a principal, Mr. Deide, who was like a father to us. He was gentle yet firm. He gave us some freedom; he allowed us to go to town on the last Saturday of the month. Some of us would even go as far as two towns away from the school to have fun on such days but we had to come back before dusk.”
Segun Sosanya
That freedom was curtailed the following year when a new, fiery principal, Mr. Segun Sosanya, took over. He denied them the freedom they had enjoyed under Mr. Deinde and wouldn’t even allow people from the town to walk through the unfenced school.
Omoniyi explains, “He didn’t want us to have any interaction with the people of the town. Some of the community people had this sense of entitlement to the school. He did not want a situation where they would dictate to him what to do. He was always on his guard and didn’t tolerate any interference from outside the school. That went a long way to keep us in check.”
Omoniyi was one of the few students who got a scholarship. By his third year, he was already playing a strategic role, even helping to invigilate the common entrance examination for the school’s third set of students.
However, many knew him more for his sporting activities. He earned the nickname “Roteangule” because of his dexterity at playing corner kicks during football matches. He was the number 7 manning the right front end of the field and did that throughout his stay in the school.
“I learned football in primary school,” he says. “We had an open field close to our house where we played. I also followed the matches of the then Bendel Insurance Football Club as a young boy. That’s where I got my football skills.”
Beyond secondary school
By the time he finished secondary school, Omoniyi had set a path for himself. His uncle, Mr. Olusina Bamigbaye, a building expert, had influenced his career choice. He followed in his footsteps, studying Building Technology at Yaba College of Technology in Lagos.
Before securing admission, he had already started working with NEPA. He was about 18. He said, “It was while I was at NEPA that I took a leave of absence to go for my tertiary education.”
He recalled that NEPA had a policy to that gage room for staff to go back to school and come back to continue their work. “If you get admission three years after you start work, you will be allowed to go without pay and come back after your education. But if it’s five years, you can apply for a scholarship. In that case, you will be paid even while you’re in school and still come back to your work”
So he was able to go to school and come back to his job. “All my education, up to my master’s in Public Administration at Olabisi Onabanjo University (then known as Ogun State University), was done while I was at NEPA.
“Even when I went to do my NYSC in Kano, I took a leave of absence and came back to continue work. The only snag was that I wasn’t paid for the time I was in school since I did not spend up to five years working before I went to school. But the joy was that I retained my job and rose through the ranks.”
Life in NEPA
He described the old NEPA as a great place to be. “There was hardly any profession that didn’t have a place in NEPA. Engineers, doctors, lawyers, teachers, and many other professions had a place. There were different departments in the parastatal that different professions could fit in.
Problem of the power sector
A member of the Council of Registered Builders of Nigeria, Omoniyi’s last posting was at the Afam Power Station in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
He believes the problem with PHCN is primarily its management. “From when I started work, I observed that the main challenge was the parastatal’s inability to follow through on a policy.
“Different management teams would come in with their ideas and would jettison the policies of the previous management. There was always a challenge of following up on existing projects.”
Sharing a personal experience, he recounts a boss who was not interested in what had happened before he assumed his position. “He came with his idea and insisted on implementing it.”
Omoniyi notes that many projects have been stalled in the parastatal because of a lack of a maintenance culture.
“Nigeria shouldn’t be grappling with the electric power issue by now if those in charge of the power sector were consistent with the laid-down policy and procedure for doing things.”
According to him, the unbundling of the institution was also done hurriedly and was politicised. “Capitalists came in and made a shipwreck of it,” he states. “Aspects of the unbundling that ought to have been handled by technical people were handled by people who know nothing about electric power.”
He believes that if corruption were removed from the system, the other issues would be resolved in a matter of months.
“During the First Republic, there was a plan to have power-generating dams in almost all the states so that more power could be generated without putting undue pressure on the existing ones. But a government came and stalled the project to start something else.”
Lack of maintenance
Another challenge, according to him, is the lack of a maintenance culture. He says that even if Nigeria could generate all the power it needs today, the challenge of distribution would still be a problem.
Omoniyi, who retired about 10 years ago to go into the construction business, says his years in the organisation were hitch-free. “I had the opportunity of foreign travels and invaluable training, which are still useful today for me even in retirement. To that I am grateful.”
He, however, lamented the bureaucracy and “red-tapeism” in the system, which he said also led to its poor performance over the years.
Today, Omoniyi believes that if anyone is to blame for the failure of the power sector, it’s the leadership and management. “We only need a leader who has the will and capacity to do the right thing. It will amaze you that the old NEPA had all it needed to perform. But the human factor came and made a mess of the system.”
Not yet Uhuru
Even with the reported improvements in the sector, Omoniyi says, “We shouldn’t be celebrating what we have achieved so far because it’s even embarrassing that we are at this stage.”
He calls the billing system a form of corruption. “The Band A and Band B options of billing are the worst forms of corruption in the system and a capitalist device to rip people off.
“We buy gas at the same price, buy fuel almost at the same price with slight variation; why is it that when it comes to electricity, we have a different billing system for commercial zones?
“A man who runs a shop in a business zone is being asked to pay more, while there are some people who live in residential areas but consume more electricity than those in the so-called commercial zones pay less.
“I think there is a need for an equal billing system. There is no way to explain this. It’s still corruption. It’s the capitalist mindset that gave rise to the idea.”
Why states can’t generate power easily
He notes that the reason it’s difficult for states to generate their power is because of the legal and technical framework. “Every electric power generated is first sent to Oshogbo for redistribution. Many states have tried to generate their power, but as I said, the challenge of distribution is always there.
“The entire system still needs overhauling. Those who bought into the parastatal didn’t have an idea of what they were getting into until they got in and saw the rot. Now they have had to begin to grapple with the challenges, too.”
Lessons
Married to Adesola Omoniyi, the ex-PHCN official says life has taught him to be disciplined. “You need discipline to be able to rise above the issues of life. One must also learn to delay gratification, be ethical, and be part of the development around you. Get involved with efforts geared towards making society better. I believe that is the way to live a meaningful life.”
Today, Omoniyi is enjoying a quiet retirement while still actively involved in the construction business. He is also active in the Old Students Association of his Alma Mater. He was for a long time the secretary of the association and presently the chairman of the Local Organising Committee for the 50 years anniversary of the school, which will be held in September.
