Whenever the defunct Power Holding Company of Nigeria now called Electricity Distribution Companies restores power, there is always this feeling of dejavu, and there is this joy that comes with it. Electricity has over the time become an essential part of our lives, some people have so adapted to living in places with electricity for atleast a greater part of the day that they cannot stand power outage for more than 24 hours.
The economy of Nigeria has suffered a lot of setbacks due to this singular act of epileptic power supply. Most industrial and manufacturing firms operating in the country have either left for other countries where the environment is conducive enough for them or have become derelict or moribund no thanks to the pathetic state of the power sector of the country.
Rural electrification projects in Nigeria have been known to be major drivers of development in rural areas with little basic amenities. There are many communities in Ibadan that grew as a result of the provision of electricity in those communities. Regular power supply is part of the instrument of national development, with stable electricity the people are empowered to work from domestic level and cottages. Research has shown that a majority of the people of Nigeria are engaged in the informal sector of the economy where we have artisans and other small time industrialists. However, due to the sorry state of the power sector, most of these people have had to make do with other means of survival especially Commercial Motor-cycling popularly known as “okada”.
As stated earlier most of the industries have had to settle for other means of generating power privately, notable among these other means include the use of generating sets and this has invariably increased the cost of production and eventually the cost of the output. Take for instance all telecommunications companies in the country would always harp on the issue of infrequent or unstable power supply in the country for them to run their masts and their offices all over the country for the sustained increased call rates and other services.
Leaving the sphere of business and industry for our personal homes, electricity runs about everything in our homes. Some people will prefer to switch on their electric appliances and leave it that way for as long as they can, for there is a happiness that accompanies having power supply at that moment and if there is power failure there is also this nostalgic feelings about periods when there was electricity supply.
In these days depriving people of electricity is tantamount to castration and people would always clamour for change in the power situation until all is well with the power transmission and distribution in the country and that there is constant electricity in our homes, companies, firms, industries and place of work. I rest my case.
–NEPTUNE
