My community, anaku in Ayamelum local government is one of the numerous communities that lack one of the basic necessities which is electricity. My community has not had light in years, not even flash of electricity.
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I rarely go home, but when I do, I'm faced with the lack of electricity. I find it difficult to use electronics as charging is usually an issue. Everyone who has money for generator buys it but has problem fueling it, as there is no fueling station in the community. Anyone who want to buy fuel will have to go as far as onitsha to get fuel to fuel his generator.
This was a time I traveled home to see my family as it's been a while. One of my elder sister's child was preparing to write his exams, he had to use candle light to read at night. He kept straining his eyes to see what he was reading, it broke my heart to see his determination hindered by the lack of electricity in my community.
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Businesses are really struggling to survive. Shops can't sell perishable goods as there is no electricity to store them. I asked my mom( may her soul rest in peace) about a man I usually see sometimes when I traveled and she told me the man had to close shop and leave the community because of lack of power.
Image is a screenshot on my phone
Due to lack of power, we do not have necessary and well equipped health facility. I remember, the day mama Nzogi entered labour and was taken to the "heath facility", the nurses there said there was nothing they could do as they didn't have fuel for generator they use. She had to be taken to the local women who helped her deliver her baby.
A lot of people are trying to cope with the lack of electricity by purchasing generator but with the current price of fuel, they find it to put on their generators. Some are trying to buy solar panels but it's way too costly. To charge our phones is always a problem because there are few people who are into the charging business and because there is no fuel in the community, their charge fee is much. Imagining charging a button phone and small rechargeable torch at one hundred and fifty naira while android phones at two hundred naira, whether your phone is full or not, you'll pay same amount.
The lack of electricity doesn't just affect our day-to-day lives; it impacts our future. Young people are leaving our community, seeking opportunities in areas with better infrastructure. We're losing our brightest minds, and our community is suffering for it.
I have discussed with my brother and he and some youths have written to the government countless times, begging for improvements to our power supply. Each time, they are met with empty promises and no action. It feels like we're living in the dark, both literally and figuratively, forgotten by those who have the power to make a change.
It's long past time for the government to step up and address this critical issue. We need action, not more empty promises. Our community deserves the chance to thrive, and that starts with providing electricity.