Meta Ai
It is so surprising that the citizens of a country as big as Nigeria still celebrate at the restoration of electricity. The usual "Up Nepa" phrase was never pre-discussed earlier to be used as a form of celebratory expression yet it is so popular that I can vouch that the average Nigerian born and bred in this country knows what it represents and whenever we hear someone scream it, we just find ourselves looking up at an electric bulb to confirm if the message is true or not and most times the reaction happens even when it was never our initial intent, it is now a subconscious reflex🤣🤣🤣.
The condition of the electricity sector in this country is so bad that we have been tagged as the Generator Country by our neighbors (when we engage in our usual friendly banters) despite being known as the "Giant of Africa". Every single year policies and budgets are made to tackle this issue with little to no result to show for it besides a worsened state than it previously was before these supposed plans were made. The condition is so bad that this late into 2025 there are still communities that have never experienced electricity wasn't either gotten from a generator or solar powered (most people can't even afford an inverter so this is still solely a privilege only the wealthy enjoy) and these people still hope on the campaign promises of their leaders to provide the change they need, I just hope everything turns out well for them because this is completely heartwrecking
Meta AI
Earlier this year I was having a conversation with a facebook friend who lives Canada. He was asking me about the challenges I encountered as an undergraduate back then. I was listing them out and the moment I mentioned electricity, bro was surprised and laughing at the same time as he did not believe that this could ever be a problem because constant electricity was a norm where he's from. I won't lie I was broken from the conversation, because we literally have to include these guys in our prayers every morning just to enjoy the bare minimum of 5 hours worth of electricity and the fact that we have all gotten so accustomed to this lifestyle just goes to show the state of our condition. The worst thing that can happen to a community is hearing news of the transformer having issues as this usually takes months even getting to a year to fix and most times it is usually members of the community that contributes money to fix it.
Meta AI
When I was younger I can remember enjoying electricity uninterrupted for days, weeks even but every since it was sold to private companies, it has become an avenue for different stories alone. Niger state where I live in is currently under the control of Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) and this year alone the national grid has collapsed more than four times leaving citizens in darkness for days and when the power supply is finally restored, we still have to pay even for those days in the dark. I know a lot of places that are supposed to be more developed than they are but are struggling because of electricity inconsistency and the few things available are very expensive because they need power to function properly and since it is limited/unavailable they have to settle for alternative sources which ends up hiking prices.
Mine
Other than the fact that power boosts productivity, creates job opportunities and leads to development, it also helps to deter crime both amongst children and vices. For children when there is light, they spend their time indoors watching television instead moving around the straight with bad company. Most crimes happen at night and with the streets lit up during this period, criminals will be wary in fear of being caught.
A lot of Nigerians have given up on Nepa an are opting out for inverter despite how expensive it is. I still believe things will definitely get better, change is coming,I just hope and pray it starts within my lifetime.
Cheerios..... Thanks for stopping by
All images are generated by meta Ai except for the last which belongs to me
