The death of at least seven people at a football viewing centre in Calabar, Cross River State, is deeply regrettable. Football fans had gathered at the viewing centre in the Iyang-Esu area of the Calabar Municipal Local Government Area on April 20 to watch a match between Manchester United and Anderlecht in the Europa League quarter finals, but were hit by sudden disaster when a nearby transformer exploded and a high tension electricity cable fell on its roof, electrocuting some of them.  Scores of other persons at the centre were also wounded and are receiving treatment in various hospitals within the municipality.
The sad incident was a huge embarrassment to the state and the nation, even as the state has commenced action to avoid a recurrence. A delegation of the state government led by the Deputy Governor, Professor Ivara Esu, has visited the wounded and promised to pick up their bills.  The state also commenced the demolition of buildings under high tension wires.
The tragic occurrence drew immediate global attention. It brought mostly negative publicity to the country. Manchester United, one of the clubs playing the match that drew the soccer enthusiasts to the viewing centre, sent a condolence message and support to the families of the dead and the state government. Players of the club also wore black armbands in their most recent home game against Swansea FC as a mark of respect for the dead and wounded Nigerian fans.
The unhealthy practice of building houses and operating businesses under high tension cables and other electricity facilities has long been with us, despite the known danger to life and property, and government’s repeated warnings on its illegality. Apart from the danger of sudden accidents and deaths resulting therefrom, the radio-active waves and other emissions from the cables are injurious to life. Successive governments over the years have failed to enforce this regulation, but they rise up with copious promises when tragedies of this nature occur.
This reactive approach to law enforcement and public safety regulation must stop. It gives us away as having no regard for life, and lacking in discipline to enforce our own laws.  What is the gain of the recent elaborate privatisation of the nation’s power sector, if basic things like ensuring the integrity of the meagre power facilities cannot be guaranteed? A lot was expected of the new owners of the power assets in terms of upgrading the power infrastructure they inherited, but obviously, not much has happened in that regard. The transformers are still overloaded, grossly inadequate and poorly maintained. Explosions and malfunctioning of very sensitive power facilities remain the order of the day. These have become a serious cause for concern and government does not seem to have ready answers to the problems.
Even the uninitiated in power matters know that the privatisation programme was bungled and tainted by political considerations, with little regard for competence and the national interest. Many of those who won the bids for the successor electricity generating companies (GENCOS) and electricity distribution companies (DISCOS) lack the wherewithal to manage the outfits and deliver the needed services. Is the nation then forever doomed to tragedies such as the one that occurred in Calabar? We hope not.
Let these power firms wake up from their slumber and key into the bigger picture of providing efficient services, before thinking of profit making, in conformity with best global practices.  Government, too, must stop shirking its responsibility of adequate supervision of the new owners of the power companies. It must keep the power companies on their toes to ensure not only efficient power services, but also the safety of electricity users.
In the instant Calabar tragedy, will anyone be held liable for the avoidable loss of lives? We wait to see. The unfortunate incident must be thoroughly investigated and appropriate punishments meted out to those found guilty of infractions that may have contributed to the tragedy, to serve as a deterrent to others who may want to repeat the same in the future. It bears repeating that infractions    without concomitant penalties cannot engender a disciplined, orderly and progressive society.

Related News