Nigeria is a country blessed with diverse natural resources and also filled with hard-working and intelligent people, yet, we still suffer from the lack of many basic infrastructures that are supposed to make life easy and enjoyable for us all, the number one problem we have that leads to others is due to bad governance, because a country that lacks the right leader, no matter how blessed we are, having selfish people in power would continually keep us behind in terms of infrastructure.
Since the hive learners prompt restricts us to just one infrastructure we are in dire need of, I have no choice but to highlight my most present pressing need being the lack of a stable power supply, one would expect that in this current era where technology is fast taking over every aspect of our life, a basic amenity such as electricity should not be hard to come by. but sadly, it is our current reality, as a Nigerian, I know how constantly the country struggles with power issues, and therefore I can say that our government should step up on the country’s electrical system as millions of Nigerians, including myself, find it difficult to live.
This has been an unending issue in this country, no matter how bad we complain, that so many Nigerians have lost hope, you hardly find a Nigerian family without a power generator just so they can survive the heat and also run their businesses, but these days, ever since the removal of fuel subsidy by the current government, it is now difficult to afford fuel, fuel that was sold less than 200 naira per liter is now sold for 1000 naira and above, that's after you've faced the struggle of a long queue as it is currently scarce. Isn't it surprising that a country that exports fuel to another country hikes its price in it very same country and makes it scarce?
Why the government will continue to take the blame is that the existing power grid is outdated and they transmit and distribute power with high losses, hence the need for the installation of an efficient power grid, the power sector has remained a sector that has been oldest due to insufficient investment for several years, Corruption and mismanagement has also risen persistently in the power sector thus slowing down development and the implementation of reforms.
The Effects on Daily Life
Every aspect or activity in the life of every Nigerian is substantially affected due to unreliable electricity, the business people for instance, or individuals who work remotely and have to depend on their machines or other electrical gadgets such as phones or laptops depend on expensive generators, I already stated how expensive it is now, this in turn raise the costs of production hence making goods and services expensive therefore raising the cost of living high.
How I cope
As a designer, the lack of electricity and high fuel cost has made me abandon my electric sewing machine for the manual type which is not so convenient and fast, but as long as it gets the work done, I have no choice but to depend on it, sometimes we only get to have power restored only during the midnight time, and that's the time I spend ironing finished clothing before packaging them for delivery as the gas iron I use during the making process wouldn't give a neat finishing like an electric iron would.
Also being an Hiver need my gadgets to be on as well, so far, my power bank has been helping me cope, but when it goes off, it's blackout for me, so I make sure to pay to get it charged at a local charging outlet within my community, instead of buying a liter of fuel for 1000 naira and it won't even last more than an hour, paying the sum of 300 naira to get it fully charged at that charging spot is more economical as it helps me save cost.
Conclusion
The Nigerian government needs to take decisive action to improve the country's electrical infrastructure for several reasons such as economic Growth, as stable and continuous supply of electricity is very vital in the development of the economy. and can help reduce the poverty rate.
Availability of constant power would also have a positive effect on the lives of millions of Nigerians by improving comfort in homes and variety of activities such as watching of movies/ programs and bonding with family, good night sleep and the general joy of not abandoning your home appliances or machine due to no light.
It would, therefore, be quite unrealistic to underestimate the difficulties that Nigeria faces as a result of its insufficient electrical infrastructure, all spheres of its life are affected. Living with these difficulties every day, I can say for sure that the changes are needed urgently.
All images used in this post are mine