Adams Oshiomhole is a Nigerian senator. He currently represents Edo North district. He has an impressive pedigree, always making a success at every station he finds himself. As a trade unionist, he was both a tornado and a torn in the flesh of the Olusegun Obasanjo Federal Government.

As two-term governor of Edo state, he made a success of governance, wheeling the state from the umbra of underdevelopment it sank into under Lucky Igbinedion. Under Oshiomhole, Edo experienced real development in healthcare, education, human capital, infrastructure, among others.

Now as senator, Oshiomhole is adding value to the nation and to the people of Edo north. There are 109 senators in Nigeria’s Senate. Sadly, some of these senators are mere spectators. They became spectators because they lack the capacity for legislative exegesis, the courage to stand for something and the knowledge to understand their roles as senators. They lack class, intellect and the gumption to engage their colleagues, the executive and the larger society. They are just there. Voiceless articles of decoration. Human specimens that merely complete the number.

Oshiomhole is not in this ignoble class of unseen and unheard senators. He’s a class apart. A voice for the voiceless. Gifted with elocution, a bohemian charisma to say it as it is, Oshiomhole has within the last 30 days trended for two good reasons. He remains the only lawmaker in recent memory that demystified the sham called privatisation of electricity distribution companies in Nigeria. These companies are called DISCOs. Nigeria has 11 of such DISCOs supposedly operating as private equities under a curious arrangement that saw the Federal Government in full consciousness sell the once public-run distribution services to private sector operators, some without capacity, expertise, experience and fiscal strength. They were created in 2013 as part of power sector reforms.

Their creation meant that they are private equities and should function with the efficiency of the private sector. But this has turned out a criminal arrangement only possible and plausible in Nigeria. And it’s for such gross incompetence on the part of the DISCOs that Nigeria is always in darkness; unable to power homes, industries and anywhere.

Despite being private equities, the federal government still throws taxpayers’ money into these endless pits. DISCOs officials still extort money from helpless electricity consumers. They make you pay for infrastructure that is their responsibility to provide. Transformers, cables, poles should be provided by DISCOs. But never. Individuals, communities, organisations are arm-twisted to pay for these items only for the DISCOs to appropriate them as their own. What absurdity, albeit aberrant criminality by an entity that does nothing but receive payment(s) without commensurate service. Every Nigerian knows the oddities that attend the concept of DISCOs but nobody is bold enough to confront this national monster including Oshiomhole’s colleagues in the National Assembly; including governors and other thought leaders. There is something wrong with privatisation of electricity distribution in Nigeria. It is not working and it will never work if the federal government continues to ignore the obvious anomalies of spoon-feeding a private equity with public funds. But who will bell the cat? Oshiomhole just did. At the twilight of last year, he told his colleagues to brace up to confront the elephant in the room. That elephant is the anomaly called DISCOs.

He said: “I voted against the wish of my colleagues on the idea of privatising electricity. My main argument then was that the beauty of capitalism and of private ownership is that in seeking to make profit, you must provide a service but the danger of public ownership is that whether they render services or not they draw from the taxpayers’ money to correct what is there. I couldn’t imagine what we are experiencing today, that a private person will collect money for services not rendered and the Nigerian people are helpless.

“Even we the privileged class, I had to buy the transformer that I use here in the heart of Abuja. I had to persuade, negotiate and even make payment to Abuja Electricity Distribution Company for them to install and energise it. This transformer that I procure with my resource thereafter becomes the property of the DISCO and I’m asked to pay electricity bills for Band A.

“Most Governors buy transformers for their communities. Many of us will soon go back to the electorate, they will tell us they had no light for a year or two because of transformer, they will tell Senators to buy the transformers, we will look for money to buy the transformers, they will say that the DISCO said we should pay to install and energise it. If cables are faulty, they will ask you to buy the cables.

“As I speak, I have requests from several communities asking me to buy transformers and get them connected. The key requirements are transformer and cables. If state governors use government fund to procure transformers, if individuals use their personal resources to procure transformers and cables, what is the cost that these DISCOs are incurring? “The logic of privatisation is to inject fund into the company.”

DISCOs are 60 percent private equity and 40 percent public. But the government that owns the 40 percent has no input in the management. All that the Federal Government has been doing on behalf of the public is throw in more money into the deep pockets of the private owners. Such disingenuous arrangement that has no place in modern economics and management.

And just barely two weeks ago, Oshiomhole blew another lid. He said openly what many Nigerians have been murmuring in their closets. “The ongoing illegal mining across the country is being carried out by retired generals, and we know them. Yes, we know them,” he said. He was at his elemental best as he sketched the map of the illegal mining trade, connecting the dots from Zamfara to Kaduna and Osun state. As his voice blared through the hall, you could see the shock on the faces of his colleagues. They were shocked at his courage but obviously were not surprised that the Edo senator could dare the high and mighty retired military elite. Why should the Federal Government deploy joint task force to burst the cartel of illegal oil bunkerers in the Niger Delta but looks away while illegal mining of minerals flourishes elsewhere? He queried.

On both issues, you cannot fault the argument of Senator Oshiomhole. The onus is on the executive to investigate these two critical national oddities and rein in the renegades and their co-conspirators.