THE Federal government has banned the importation of a very common brand of generators locally called “I better pass my neighbour”.
The Controller, Federation Operations Unit Zone A, Lagos of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Madugu Sanni Jubrin, who disclosed this, yesterday, said, “the smaller generators have been banned by the Federal Government because it is causing air pollution and destruction of our lungs and breathing system.
“That is why they have banned it but people are still interested in smuggling them in, that is why we intercepted them. If you go to the market, you still see them because people have imported them before the ban. So it is the leftover they had before the ban that they are selling because the law did not backdate the ban and it is not an absolute prohibition. It is prohibition by trade which means you cannot bring it in large quantity and sell to the public. That is the type of prohibition we have on this but if you buy one piece, Customs will not seize it”.
END
Two news items caught my attention this morning and I wish to have a say on them.
1. Lagos State Govt #plans CCTV for public places.
This is quite cherry ain’t it? Well I dare say it is not for me. And I’ll tell you why.
What happened to the ones that were mouthed in previous administrations? Or were they just mouthed? What then is the guarantee that this one will not go the same way as the others we have heard both from the past federal & state govts?
Another issue that this news (if it is news) raised for me is the fact that SECURITY is most effective IF it is not seen or heard.
We have a govt or security apparatus that will always rush to the press to announce every single move including something as sensitive as this that is meant to be and more effective if kept SECRET.
What then is the guarantee that the persons that these gadgets were meant to curtail will not sabotage them now that they have been intimated of its intended installation?
Govt should learn to KEEP QUIET AND JUST WORK.
If the idea behind this announcement was to score points or to be seen to be working, I think the reverse is what it will bring. I will rather feel safe not hearing security strategies but knowing that they are working than to hear about it before they are installed only to discover they were never carried out or sabotaged before we could benefit from their work.
But alas! Ours is a people that put its government and security apparatus under pressure not to work BUT to tell them what they are planning to do. And the govt in a bid to maintain public favour, dance to these unintelligent calls. This is why we need brilliant people in govt not the average thinkers.
2. FG orders ban of “I better Pass My Neighbor Generators.”
This is quite hilarious and for want of a better word, an escapist approach to solving serious global issue.
Note that the govt didn’t ban the #usage but #importation of the generators and their claim for this vindictive move is that it contributes to AIR POLLUTION. How convenient!.
While I totally agree that ALL generators (not just the one banned) contribute to air and noise pollution I totally disagree that the major culprit is the “I better pass my neighbor”.
How much fumes does a PMS engine” I better pass my neighbor” emit when compared to the heavy diesel engine plant that is being used in many industries and “big men” homes?
What I see is a govt, like all others before it, who finds it convenient to take away the little the down-trodden has rather than, like my friend Patrick O. once said, “put culpability where culpability lies.
If there is any generator that is to be banned, it is the ones that does the major harm. And I posit that it is the ones used by the big shots. The poor man turn on his “I pass my neighbor” for few hours in the week (judging by his low income). However, the big shot has his on 24 hours-7 days a week. I have one directly adjacent to my house.
In any case, If the govt is serious about banning ALL generators, isn’t it sensible to put the horse before the cart. In this case, is it not better to first FIX the nation’s power situation before attempting to ban generators. That way, it will not be seen as a vindictive move against the poor and downtrodden.
For the record, I do not have any generator. The reasons are both personal and social. So don’t take me as an activist of the poor or bad belle against the rich.