Anyone who follows Senator Ben Murray-Bruce on Twitter knows he’s a big advocate for electric cars as a replacement for petrol cars in the country, so much so that he pushed a bill to that effect only to have it withdrawn due to overwhelming disapproval from other lawmakers in the National Assembly. Nonetheless, Murray-Bruce hops on every opportunity to evangelize about electric cars which ostensibly looks like some part of an utopia where Nigeria’s problem magically disappear.

His proposal has been receiving polarizing opinions, and writer and journalist Eromo Egbejule isn’t a fan of Murray-Bruce’s electric car advocacy. Last week, the senator in a tweet drew our attention to the fact that many billionaires and multi-billion dollar companies are diverting their interests from petroleum-based businesses and investing in power plants, because electric cars are the future. Egbejule responded to the tweet, telling Murray-Bruce he has been to his constituency Akassa, in Bayelsa, it barely has power supply or drinking water.

Senator, I’ve been to Brass Island and Akassa, your constituency.

Agip has provided 24/7 power in Brass but no water. Your community Akassa barely has electricity or drinking water.

Why are you talking about the future if your people don’t have the basics for the present? https://t.co/ME3v3xpwzg

— Eromo Egbejule (@EromoEgbejule) June 23, 2019

Egbejule raised an important point, though: Murray-Bruce can’t continuing championing electric cars when his community doesn’t have access to basic amenities. I don’t know what he has done to improve the lives within the constituency he is representing, but Egbejule possibly can’t concoct what he didn’t experience when he travelled to Balyesa, meaning I’m going to believe him. Like they say, charity begins at home, and if Murray-Bruce doesn’t want to be seen as a hypocrite, it’s only common sense that he starts to effect basic changes in his zone.