Here I am trying to charge my phone and laptop, hoping and praying in my mind that “they won’t take light.”
Yes, I’m Nigerian, yes they actually “took the light“, damn right I’m writing about it because the sound of someone’s generator has come on and yes it’s irritating.
I’m honestly starting to think I sound like a broken record because I’m constantly writing about what’s wrong with Nigeria and other goings-on.
Yes, I know I am whinging all the time and yes I’m annoying myself also. But one thing is certain; I am not lying. To become great you have to first acknowledge your own faults then work on them. When you work on your faults and shortcomings, you will progress in what you do. It’s simple (well, not that simple).
What’s today’s whinge about? Power, I’m talking about energy. Not just power, but power in Nigeria which is frankly yet another sad, disheartening story of the Nigerian Government.
How many promises have been made? How many ‘Vision 2020s’ ? How many “I will provide power to the masses, to promote small and medium enterprises” ? Honestly, I think these politicians get their interns to write up their plans for ruling for the next four years, then falter on those promises because they’re not even aware of some of the intricacies of these promises. Le sigh. Just talking about it puts my mood in a bad place but it has to be said.
I’m going to go ahead and substitute the word “power” with “light” or “electricity” for the remainder of this article, bear with me. One of the reasons why we don’t have light in Nigeria is the incompetence of our leaders, yes that has been established. Apart from their incompetence, their ignorance and backward thinking also come into play. How can a country that gained independence in 1960 not have steady electricity? IT’S BEYOND ME! Even sadder, is the fact that we as citizens have accepted it, and have adapted as well. As I always say, as a nation, we accept and adapt to too many uncertainties thrown at us, it may prove to be a defining factor in moving forward as a country.
In Nigeria, when life gives you lemons, you make eba, that’s just the way it is.
We’ve adapted way too many times to mediocre standards and that is one of the reasons why we haven’t really progressed to where we should be in the last 50 years.
When the government decided to privatise the power sector, it was perceived to be a great move by the government. Years later, today the situation is the same, if not worse. Many business owners are put off by the amount of money we spend on generator sets in the country. Petrol is N145, and a regular generator most likely has 25 or 30 litres capacity. Multiply that and you spend between N3,500 and N4,500 to fill up your generator for what would probably last maybe half a day. Let’s say a business is located in an area where there isn’t steady electricity, that amounts to spending around N14,000 (using a 25 litre generator tank) in four days. That’s around N56,000 a month. Let’s not even get into how much it would cost in a year. My point is, money that can be used to improve your business, get sucked in by your generator. Factor in regular servicing, and the numbers get astronomical.
What can be done to solve our power problems? There are many solutions. One would be converting to renewable energy.
Apart from being environmentally safe, renewable energy allows individuals save money that could have otherwise been used for petrol.
Everyday, people come out with new ideas on how to create power from all around us. Nigeria still relies on three power stations Kainji, Shiroro, and Jebba dams in Niger state for power. It’s pitiful that all three dams produce a meagre 1900 megawatts of electricity, and power a good portion of our country. The oldest being Kainji dam, built in 1968. That’s 49 years, and no innovation. I’m blaming our leaders for this one, they’ve taken their eyes off the ball. The country is wealthy enough to build new and modern sources of clean energy for us, and still make money from or by selling to our neighboring countries (e.g. Niger Republic) like we already do. Solar panels, modern wind turbines etc are all viable options. Meanwhile, all the existing energy sources could be used to supplement a new system. Why can’t we implement all these? Our failure to diversify as a nation, and our leaders repelling new and fresh ideas, that’s why.
If power is taken care of in Nigeria, we will finally be able to realise our full potential as a nation. If there is steady electricity, productivity increases, more businesses open up, the economy is healthy. Simple as that.
The problem now is, do we have the right leaders in power to implement these changes?
We have the minds needed to change this country. We also have the vision in our sights, even though it seems unattainable. Where do we honestly see Nigeria in the next 20 years, in terms of being on par with the leading countries of the world. Will we be standing with countries like France, USA, China etc in the production of power? Or will we still be struggling with 500MW of power from a 49 year old dam?
Our government has failed us, but we must not lose hope. I believe we are getting to the light at the end of the tunnel, all we need now are headlights to guide us through it.
[…] be, is our lack of adequate and regular power supply to all parts of the country, which I discussed previously. Whether you’re setting up a physical or a digital space, constant electricity is important. […]