Poor Power Supply

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I am definitely among the Nigerians who will openly say how awful the power supply in Nigeria is. I know there are some cities that enjoy good power supply, but such cities are very few, and mine is among those that can count how many times we get electricity in a month. It is so bad that many of us no longer depend on public electricity to run our homes, especially when it comes to using appliances and, most importantly, charging our phones and other gadgets. If we were to depend on public power supply for these things, then we might have to go a whole week without using our phones because there are weeks when we do not get electricity at all.

Sometimes, I wonder a lot about why the power supply is like this. It has been this way ever since I became aware of my surroundings, and there has never been a period of steady power supply. I often question whether the distribution of electricity is naturally structured this way or if the facilities used to distribute power are not of standard quality to maintain a constant supply. I think it is a natural issue because if the facilities were actually functioning properly today, they would still be good for use the next day. But the way power is distributed here feels as though they are rationing a very limited quantity of food. Lol.

These days, many homes and offices have resorted to using solar systems because they appear to be more reliable. They are also more convenient to use since they do not produce noise or require fuel to run. In my town, about two out of every ten roofs now have solar panels installed. For a country like mine, where the sun shines intensely and consistently, using a solar system is a good approach because there is always enough sunlight to generate power.

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Currently, I do not personally have a solar system in my house, but we have one in our compound, which we use to charge our phones every night. That has been our saving grace, especially on days when there is no electricity at all. The solar system belongs to a co-tenant in the compound who goes to work every morning and returns in the evening around 5:00 PM, at which point we get to charge our phones. That is how we have been surviving the absence of public electricity. This same co-tenant also has a generator, and we contribute money to buy fuel to power it and pump water in the compound.

If these alternative solutions were not available to us, survival in a situation where we had to depend entirely on public electricity would be extremely difficult. I really wish Nigeria could overcome this underdevelopment so that electricity would no longer be a major concern in the country. I hope that in the next 10 to 20 years, life here will be much better. I hope so.

Thanks!

I wrote this in response to the sci-fi multiverse writing prompt.

Posted Using INLEO