It is not quite clear the actual persona that Adebayo Adelabu wants Nigerians to identify him with. Yes, he is the Minister of Power in Bola Tinubu’s government, but there is something about him that is more comedic.
His recent comment about the energy consumption management habit of Nigerians could easily pass for a comedy skit. But, he was outrightly serious in communicating, with the comment, his understanding of the power consumption matric of freezers. This is not to blame him because his academic and career background is banking and accounting. That taken into consideration means that he cannot scale the hurdle that would earn him the tag ‘electric energy technocrat’, as far as the understanding of the workings of the power consumption of freezers is concerned.
Out there on the streets, he has been tagged a “comedian” especially when his governorship campaign promise is put on the scale with his comment on Nigerians not putting off their freezers when going to work.
He had raised dust when he talked about restricting cars registered in Lagos state from plying roads in Oyo state while campaigning to be governor. It is difficult to vision how he would enforce that. Many tagged him a comedian with that. But is he a comedian or a technocrat? Those who say he is a comedian have their reasons the same way with those who see him as a technocrat operating in the wrong field.
I was caught between understanding the Adelabu persona. So, after a series of searches on his background on Google which showed him to be a banker and accounting expert having been through the CBN and an accounting firm, I turned over to Ai (artificial intelligence) and asked it a question. I asked “Is Adelabu a technocrat of a comedian?” What Ai threw back at me was most amazing. It said: “It is not fair or accurate to label Adebayo Adelabu as strictly a technocrat or a comedian.
To fully understand Adelabu and his career, we must examine his background and experience, as well as his public persona and actions. At the outset, it is important to note that Adelabu has an impressive academic and professional background in economics and banking. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, as well as two Master’s degrees in Business Administration and Policy Analysis. He has also worked in various high-level positions in the banking industry, including as Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria.
It further said that “Adelabu’s experience and expertise in finance and economics certainly make him a qualified technocrat. He has been praised by many for his efforts to modernise the Nigerian financial sector and promote economic growth.
During his time at the Central Bank, he worked on initiatives to promote financial inclusion, improve access to credit, and combat fraud and corruption. At the same time, Adelabu has also been known for his public persona as a comedian. He gained popularity in Nigeria for his witty and satirical speeches and interviews, which often included humorous anecdotes and jokes. Some have criticized this aspect of his public persona, arguing that it detracts from his professionalism and credibility as a technocrat.
“However, it is important to note that Adelabu’s use of humour is not necessarily incompatible with his status as a technocrat. In fact, many successful leaders have used humour to connect with audiences, build rapport, and defuse tensions. Humour can also be an effective tool for conveying complex ideas and making them more digestible for a general audience.
“Furthermore, it is important to recognize that Adelabu’s public persona is just one aspect of his identity. He has been involved in many concrete initiatives and policies that demonstrate his commitment to promoting economic development and good governance in Nigeria.
“For example, during his time at the Central Bank, Adelabu worked on initiatives to promote financial literacy, protect consumers’ rights, and promote small-scale agriculture and entrepreneurship. He also introduced measures to reduce the amount of cash circulating in the economy, in an effort to combat money laundering and other illegal activities.”
Ai therefore concluded that “it is not accurate to label Adebayo Adelabu as strictly a technocrat or a comedian.” But, it said “at the same time, his use of humour and public persona has attracted criticism and attention. Ultimately, it is up to each individual to decide how they view Adelabu and his career, based on a holistic examination of his background, experience, and actions.”
That comes as a balanced perspective on Adelabu. However, his lack of adequate knowledge of the relationship between freezers and energy consumption presents him as a comedian when he spoke about the energy consumption habit of Nigerians. For emphasis, one of the most common practices is to switch off appliances when they are not in use to save energy. In this context, Adelabu suggests that leaving the freezers on all day amounts to waste of energy. But he is wrong because though freezers consume a considerable amount of energy to keep the foodstuffs stored within them cooled or frozen, the amount of energy consumed by a freezer depends on its make, type, size, and age.
Modern freezers have an energy efficiency rating that indicates how much energy they consume and how environmentally friendly they are and as such energy savings from turning off the freezer for a few hours will not cancel out the amount of energy required to cool down the freezer once it is turned back on.
For this reason, Adelabu’s position derives from a misconception on energy consumption of freezers because available literature indicates that “when a freezer is turned off, the temperature inside the freezer begins to rise. And, when the temperature rises, the freezer will require more energy to cool down than it would have required to maintain the temperature. If the freezer is put off for a more extended period, it can consume more energy than if it had been left on all day. Therefore, leaving the freezer on is energy-efficient in the long run and does not result in energy wastage.”
However, there is a caveat that makes Adelabu seem correct in his seeming suggestion. His perspective may have been with reference to old and worn out freezers. Literature on this subject matter says “there are situations where leaving the freezer on all day can result in wastage of energy. For example, if the freezer is old and inefficient, it will consume more energy than necessary to keep the foodstuff cool or frozen.
If this is the case, switching to a new, more energy-efficient freezer can help save energy. Additionally, if the freezer has a door seal that is not tight, warm air can enter the freezer, making it less efficient and increasing the amount of energy needed to maintain the temperature.”
So, was Adelabu right to have apologised for the comment?