Category: Change

Change, Energy

Constraining Nigeria’s Industrial Future One Solar Panel at a Time

Jilomes

How do you solve a problem that appears to be a little more complicated than rocket science? More than ten years after a cerebral Nigerian politician asserted that fixing Nigeria’s electricity supply conundrum “is not rocket science”, with some claims that he said a serious government could fix entrenched sectoral challenges within six months, there is arguably less electricity supply in “most” parts of Nigeria compared to a decade ago, and combined with rising costs, more persons are turning to solar power systems aka “inverter”.

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Wastage
Change, Politics

Of Governments and Financial Insatiability

Jilomes

It is commonly said that when an individual’s income increases, expenditures, if unchecked, would rise to meet the income, and necessitate further increase in income. While individuals have their ability to singlehandedly increase their incomes constrained by factors associated with the value delivery or productivity (perceived or real) in the marketplace whether as business owners or employees, governments are largely unencumbered by value or productivity considerations thanks to taxation.

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Change

Afriland Towers Disaster: How Quickly We Have Moved On

Jilomes

It is quite common in Nigeria to hear people talk about politicians waiting out the storm whenever a bad event occurs, as they are sure that Nigerians cannot seem to stand on business for a long time. And so, over and over again, we have disgraceful and even deadly events occur, and just a few days later, everyone moves on, like it never mattered. But to progress as a nation, we need to be able to learn and enforce lessons to forestall a reoccurrence.

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Change, Randoms

Of Productivity and National Attitudes to Work

Jilomes

The past week or two saw a little debate on “Nigerian Twitter” about a claim that Nigerians are unwilling to work, effectively saying Nigerians are lazy. While the proponents of the claim had the initial field day espousing their view, the opposing team came out strongly in the second half with valid rebuttals around inadequate remuneration and unstructured workplaces. As usual with many of these debates, the truth is neither here nor there.

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Change, Politics

A Demonic Oppression Called Quota System

Jilomes

In my previous article, I talked about hope on the horizon regarding the rebirth of Nigeria and I got a fair tackle from some persons who have become desperately pessimistic about the prospects of Nigeria. But whereas I remain adamant that Nigeria is changing, I acknowledge that the change is seemingly too slow for many reliably disappointed Nigerians and that one of the chains unwilling to allow Nigeria to attain its full degrees of freedom is the famous quota system, which has become a principal demon fashioned against Nigeria.

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Change, Inspiration

When Nigeria Happens to You

Jilomes

“May Nigeria not happen to you.”

In recent years, this phrase has become quite commonly used among many Nigerians. To the onlooker, it would seem as if the name “Nigeria” has become synonymous, or worse, eponymous, with “evil”. At the root of the usage lies a deep sense of disappointment, regret, and sometimes bitterness at misfortunes that some Nigerians see as entirely attributable to their being Nigerian or their being in Nigeria. But maybe the tide is changing, howbeit, slowly.

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Change, Politics

To Tax Nigerians with All Our Strength

Jilomes

If Uncle Jeremiah had been alive in this era, he may have had second thoughts about naming his second book as “Lamentations”. As an empathetic person, after seeing the torrent of complaints by Nigerians, maybe his own book would have been the Book of Less Worrisome Jewish Lamentations. But poor jokes asides, Nigerian social media spaces and even offline conversations these days tend to highlight a common pain point around taxes, just like the irreverent sapa, attempting to strangulate people.

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Change, Energy

Cutting the Head of the Cobra Effect

Jilomes


In economics, the concept of “Perverse Incentive” commonly refers to a situation where an incentive leads to detrimental outcomes for the enablers of such incentive. The most popular example comes from British Colonial India where an attempt to eliminate cobras in Delhi by paying for each killed cobra led to people farming cobras. Due to self-interest, the socially or morally optimal outcome will never occur as humans would rig the system to perpetuate the incentive. This is the rabbit hole that Nigeria needs to escape from.

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Change, Energy

A Different Kind of Petrol Subsidy for Nigeria

Jilomes

Recently, in a think-tank of sorts ensconced within a WhatsApp group, the issue of petrol subsidies came into play. Clearly, in Nigeria today, the issue of petrol subsidies, whether they are needed or not, whether they exist or not, is a serious discourse set within the context of a struggling economy. When someone suggested addressing the subsidy issue by digitising purchases tied to NIN, I had an eureka moment with an idea that could be seen as silly and unimplementable or provide a solution to a serious socioeconomic challenge.

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