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VENO tv Opinion: Mr. President, Start from Ayede
Date: 27-02-26

By Johnson Adegboyega

When President Bola Ahmed Tinubu boldly declared, “Don’t vote for me in 2027 if I can’t fix electricity,” many Nigerians applauded the courage. It was a statement heavy with confidence — and heavier with expectation.

Electricity is not just another campaign promise in Nigeria. It is the difference between survival and collapse for millions of small businesses. It is the thin line between hope and frustration.

We do not belong to the bandwagon of pessimists who believe Nigeria cannot work. This nation must work. But we also refuse to romanticize bold declarations without visible transformation.
If electricity will determine 2027, then let the rehabilitation begin — not in theory, but in reality.

Let it begin in Ayede.

The Forgotten Border Towns
Drive from Ojodu/Berger in Lagos and cross into Alagbole. Even a blind man will feel the difference. The smooth transition from infrastructure to neglect is instant. The same applies to More/Ibafo, Ayobo/Atetoro, and most painfully, Sango-Ota.
It is as though development stops at the state boundary.
Ogun State, under Governor Dapo Abiodun, can not continue to watch its border communities resemble what residents jokingly call a “Government Rejected Area.”

In Sango-Ota axis alone, fatal accidents caused by bad roads are no longer news — they are routine. Business owners struggle daily. Hope is thinning.
But nowhere captures the electricity crisis more vividly than Ayede, near Ifo.

Ayede: Headquarters of the ‘Federal Ministry of Darkness’
Five days without power.
No rain.
No storm.
No explanation.
Yet IBEDC bills arrive faithfully — ?12,000 and upwards — for electricity never consumed.
Entrepreneurs abandon dreams before they begin:
No dry-cleaning business — because no power.
No frozen foods store — because no power.
Solar companies thriving — because the national grid has become unreliable.
When an entire town switches to installment-based solar systems just to feel light, it is not innovation. It is surrender.
Residents openly say they have lost hope — in the system, in leadership, in promises.
This is dangerous in a democracy.
Electricity Is Not Politics — It Is Economic Oxygen
Yes, the electricity sector is complex — involving GenCos, DisCos, transmission challenges, gas supply issues, and regulatory bottlenecks. But complexity must not become an excuse for stagnation.
Recent reforms give states more authority in power generation and distribution. That means responsibility is now shared. No one can fully hide behind federal structures anymore.
If Mr. President truly means his words, measurable progress must begin immediately:
End estimated billing for non-supplied power.
Accelerate rural and border town mini-grids.
Enforce DisCo performance standards.
Expand metering aggressively.
Make transmission upgrades visible and trackable.

The 2027 Test

We conducted informal conversations — vox pops, and the message was clear: hope is fading.
But here is the honest truth:
If Ayede gets stable electricity… if Sango-Ota roads become motorable… if small businesses breathe again…
Then, many critics will become campaigners.
Performance converts doubters faster than propaganda.

Final Word
Mr. President, you have thrown down a challenge to Nigerians and to yourself.
If electricity is the benchmark for 2027, then start where darkness feels permanent.
Start from Ayede.
Because democracy is not built on speeches. It is built on light.
And as for us —
We are saints, yes…
But not without our stains.

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