4 things having constant electricity has taught me

Towards the end of July this year, I observed that for a couple of days we’d had electricity for a week non-stop. And this was in no way aided by power generating sets. The following thoughts crossed my mind:

  1. The guy who used to be responsible for switching off and on the button that directed the flow of electricity to our area had gone on leave and the new guy was being extra generous, perhaps because he realised we had not been getting our quota of electricity for so long.
  2. Some of the big guys in our area were fed up of running generators 24/7 and had made a deal with NEPA guys to give our street extra attention.
  3. The rains had beefed up the capacity at Kainji dam and we were enjoying the rewards of nature’s blessings.
  4. It was a fluke.

As fortune had it, this mad streak of constant electricity continued well into August, without break, and it was especially fantastic, because for the first time in a pretty long while, I was reminded that electricity could actually hold through heavy rains. In Nigeria. ‘Light’ did not go off after it thundered. There was no flicker or fluctuation in voltage. ‘Light’ stayed as steady as a lighthouse beacon. I was in awe. I could not praise NEPA enough. What’s more, it was not just my street that was enjoying this blessing; it was virtually all of Lagos and Nigeria.

Folks were even tweeting about it.

Somewhere in the recesses of my mind, I had my doubts that it would last. Why?  Because Nigeria likes throwing curve balls for fun. And particularly enjoys using its citizens as target practice. Like when they said, Vote for Change, and after we did that resoundingly, they turned around and said “Change begins with me”.

As if to corroborate my thoughts, last week started on a jerky note. Light would come and go at will, until it eventually made up its mind to stay the heck away for good. So I spent the better part of the week getting reacquainted with darkness.

And I hear it will get worse. The Punch reports that the nation will soon be enveloped in darkness( I guess my area got first dibs on this one). According to Mr. Dallas Peavey, Jr, debt, transmission challenges and lack of adequate fuel supply are some of the reasons we will be experiencing steady power outage.

This is really depressing news. But on the brighter side, having constant electricity was a teaching moment for me. Here are four things I learned:

  1. Working from home is possible. And awesome. And as delicious as Shawarma and ice cream:

Yes. If we had constant electricity, more employees would be able to work from home- in the comfort of their beds- and strike off the commute that keeps millions of people stuck on Carter Bridge, Third Mainland Bridge and other traffic-prone spots in Lagos. Which means that employees would be more productive -because we would not arrive at work with a headache, or irritable and just waiting to pounce on the nearest victim.

2. Silence is peace and both are golden: None of that racket that the combo of diesel generators, and I-better-pass-my-neighbour generators bring. No noise equals no tension headaches from environmental stress. I can hear the pigeons coo. And the neighbourhood children play. And a pin drop. I am at one with nature and its zen-ness. Image result3. Business owners can reduce unnecessary running costs. Fuel is N143 per litre. The neigbourhood laundry man spends N5,000 on fuel each week. In August, though, he did not have to spend a dime. Which brought more profit for him. But now that we are back to black-outs, his running cost has gone up again, and in this recession his profit is even more mininmal because he cannot afford to transfer the burden of running a generator to his customers. He says they will not pay. And he’d rather take minimal profit to losing his business. ‘Cause that’s what happens when customers cannot pay. Furthermore, constant electricity meant more sleep for him. He did not have to resort to staying back at the laundromat some entire nights, in order to take advantage of sudden electricity so he could catch up on deliveries.

4. Some prayers are needless when basic amenities are in place: I did not have to pray “let there be light” so I could carry out daily tasks like iron clothes, finish up a presentation, work through the night, watch a movie, pump water etc. My prayers were directed at more useful things. Things that Baba God could actually expend energy on.

5.Planning for the day is possible, sleep is heavenly and finances are better managed.

It is my earnest hope that the treacherous game we are playing with power supply in this country will end. Constant electricity is not rocket science, even if that’s what the power holding company wants us to believe.

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