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Power outages galore
No one has still been able to explain to me to my satisfaction why there are constant power outages in Nigeria.Apparently Nigeria, an OPEC member, is the world's eighth-biggest exporter of crude but yet Electricity production is so low that most Nigerians live in perpetual blackout.
I have been told the electricity output has been cut by attacks on pipelines and that Nigeria's crude output has been cut by at least a fifth since February 2006, when armed rebels protesting against poverty in the oil-producing Niger Delta started blowing up pipelines and production facilities and kidnapping oil workers, but find it hard to believe that this has been the case over the decades.
One of the more ‘interesting' reason I've been given so far is ‘Well, it is the dry season and the dams have dried up and the electricity will be more constant once we're into the rainy season'. But I still don't get it..... Everyone who has been to Ghana, which is next door to Nigeria and a much smaller country, tells me that there is constant electricity in the country. Nigeria, the giant of West Africa is still under the grip of the monopoly of the power supplier formerly known as NEPA, which stands for National Electric Power Authority,(lovingly referred to by Nigerians as ‘Never Expect Power Always'), so the name has now changed PHCN which stands for Power Holding Company of Nigeria but also lovingly renamed by Nigerians to 'Problem Has Changed Name'), so obviously despite the change of name, nothing else changes, in fact, 20 years later the situation is still the same.
The groups profiting from these power outages are the companies who sell generators. There were high hopes for Abuja and I was told not so long ago that there was almost constant electricity supply in Abuja, however, this seems not to be the case anymore. It's all well and good if you are one of the lucky few who has a generator, but again this is dependent on the size of your wallet. If you live in a serviced apartment then you're laughing, there is only the minor inconvenience of the lights going out for a few seconds before the automatic generator kicks in. If however, apparently these days, even to buy the fuel/petrol to run the generator is met with stress, now they say you actually have to bring the generator machine to the petrol station to fill it up. Seems like another contradiction to me, with one rule for the less well off and another for the richer folks. Point being I've seen some of the larger generator which are the size of a room in a house and obviously the owners of these generators do NOT bring them to the petrol station, or do they?
So many questions about this but not enough good answers, so I am still seeking enlightenment on this matter.
Posted by: Osas Oseji on 11 September 2009
Comments
Re: Power outages galore
Imagine if the Brits had to start using a generator for their power - there'd be outrage. It fact it would probably be the only time when the uptight middle classes of Middle England finally upped sticks and rioted.
To put it into perspective, the battery on my gas meter ran out so for a few days I was sparing with the tiny bit of hot water that was left and basically ate crap. No change there but I wasn't able to nochanantly turn on the oven or hot water.
It would have been worse if it had been the electricity because we rely on it so much. From charging our phones to watching TV and, yeah we all know there's nowt worth watching, but it's a bit like the weather - without it, what would we talk about?
But I'm digressing - imagine if the UK had to rely on generators of if power was severely curtailed? We tend not to think about it because we assume that we'll always have energy. Yet in countries like Nigeria, the supply can be hit and miss. So if you wake up in the morning and you've got some electricity, happy days! If you don't, then you shrug and make do anyway.
I think it breeds character. In the UK, we fall to pieces if anything happens - this applies more to the younger generation. Older people who will have remembered what it means to survive often cope better than their younger peers. We're so used to having it all on a plate that we've forgotten how to survive.
Elsewhere now, where the quality of your life is dependent on your ability to be self-sufficient, instead of moaning you take action.
Having said that though - let's hope the PHCN get their butts into gear and start providing power for all and not just the wealthy.