Power Reform: Don’t just name countries, explain their policies, Omojuwa tells Obi

Social commentator and public affairs analyst, Japheth Omojuwa, has criticised the Labour Party’s former presidential candidate, Peter Obi, over his recent comments on solving Nigeria’s power crisis using models from countries like Egypt, India, and Vietnam.

Obi had stated during an appearance on Channels Television’s *Sunday Politics* that Nigeria’s electricity problems could be addressed by adopting “proven models” from other developing nations. Citing Egypt, Vietnam, and India, the former Anambra State governor argued that these countries had made progress by applying effective governance practices.

“It’s not rocket science,” Obi said. “The three countries that improved power in recent times – India, Vietnam and Egypt – they are developing countries. So governance is learning from best practices.”

In a series of posts on social media, Omojuwa responded by questioning the depth of such comparisons and the readiness of politicians to implement similar policies in Nigeria. He challenged advocates of foreign models to explain the specific mechanisms used by those countries, rather than making generalised claims.

“Whenever you ask a politician a question and they say, ‘Egypt did it, Vietnam did it, Bangladesh did it so I can help Nigeria do it,’ please ask them, do you know how Egypt did it? Are you willing to break Nigeria’s borrowing limit to do it?” Omojuwa wrote.

He emphasised the need for a more detailed understanding of the structural, financial, and political demands involved in replicating foreign power solutions. “To be bare is to say Egypt did it. To be layered is to be able to tell us how Egypt did and why we can too. Or why we can do it but differently,” he said.

Omojuwa also questioned whether political leaders proposing such models are prepared to take on the financial implications, including borrowing or transferring debt to consumers. He raised concerns about the lack of detailed policy engagement and accused some political actors of appealing to emotional rather than intellectual discourse.

“The lowest level of public policy engagement is to say one country did it, so you can do it,” he added. “Do you have the tools to replicate it? Do you even know what’s missing in your current power design?”

Obi’s comments come amid ongoing national debates on electricity generation and distribution, with Nigeria still struggling to maintain a steady supply despite multiple reforms and private sector involvement.

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