In 2013, when I got to my new area of abode based on my new job, I met no light as in, every area was in darkness. My house was not connected, and so many other houses, all my electronic appliances were having faults due to non-use. However, in 2015, a new governor was elected and things changed slightly because the governor's mother came from the town. I saw light for the first time in 2 years and it was still not steady but at least, they brought it 5 days to every month end so that they can receive payments for the light we didn't use appropriately🤔
Our means of survival
Living in Epe, I can say our electricity supply is very annoying. Most times, I envy areas where the light is rational, at least if my area can make it that way, won't it be better? Life was even better when the pump price was still good; at least we were relieved, but honestly, it is not something we can depend on, since the pump price is high, and the majority can no longer afford to rely on generators. Because of this, so many houses are now operating on solar systems, or rechargeable lamps as backup.
It can only get better with Solar lights
As for transformer issues, yes, there was a time street’s transformer was been stolen as in, almost all the streets in epe got missing but ours was safe guarded even though, no light but nobody wants to witness that because it will be a big setback because the whole street would be in darkness for months/ years without solutions. Those people it affected contributed a huge amount of money to fix it when the local government was not ready to answer the call, while also putting pressure on the electricity distribution company to come to their aid. For our transformer not to be stolen like others, we mounted security measures around the place and everybody became vigilant🤣
When it comes to bills, prepaid meters are not common in this area because if they were to be in use like other places, there wouldn't be power outages every time, they would have stepped up their game to give us light. Prepaid is a blessing for those who have it because you only pay for what you consume. But for people still on estimated billing, it is another struggle entirely because they bring outrageous bills even when we hardly have light. In my house, a storey building, our monthly bill is between #8000 to #10000 for a light we didn't use, but the frustrating part is paying for a service that isn’t consistent. They are wicked!
In a nutshell, electricity in Epe is a joke. The only time I saw a constant light was in May and June 2025, and this happened because there was a Local government election, and they needed to act smart so that they could be voted in. Let me tell you, it's been a month now that we have heard the shout of UP NEPAAAAASAAAAAA Should we be having elections every month? We ended up getting a solar TV because we have children who need to catch fun, not stories of no light all the time. So frustrating!
This is my entry to the #sciFimultiverse community contest on the topic: Power supply
The images are mine.
Thank you🥰