You know how I said getting a national ID is top 1000 ways to pass out in Nigeria in this post? Well, sleeping or attempting to sleep is top 1000 ways to actually die no jokes.
"A family of seven made up of the father, the mother and five children were discovered dead this morning. They were suffocated to death by fumes from a generator," state police spokesperson Nnamdi Omoni said in Port Harcourt, the state capital" source
"The Niger State Police Command on Saturday confirmed the death of seven females from generator fumes at Rijau town, in Rijau Local Government Area of the state" source
Literally every building on my street has at least one generator set running during the day or at night and it's same for a majority of buildings across the country. Commercially, most businesses can't do without electricity so they have to run the generator sets almost throughout work hours. In homes, you have to keep your food refrigerated, power appliances and just get your fans or air conditioners working because we're in the tropic zone. No electricity + heat? Classic Nigerian induced homicide.
Retail of generator sets and petroleum are booming businesses because we really have no choice than to get electricity one way or another. The dangers of using petrol powered generator sets have been disregarded almost entirely. Come to Nigeria and you find people casually strolling with gallons of petrol, you'd think this volatile substance was water.
The regular programming of most homes is to put on the generator set by 7pm and switch off by 10 or 11pm. That's usually when our parents watch the news, family watches trending soap operas or reality shows and everyone charges their mobile phones. Some people however go overboard and leave the generators up until midnight, the worse set of people leave theirs on all through the night. Now I think these set of people are straight up wicked because first they subject everyone else around them to the terrible, horrible loud noise from the generator; and they put people's lives at risk from the carbon monoxide emitted from the generator.
Some people are foolish enough to have their generators inside the same house they sleep in and end up dying from the smoke fumes as a result. Others who have theirs outside their houses and lock themselves in to prevent the fumes and noise from reaching them put their neighbor's at risk.
Every night I find it so hard to sleep because I happen to live next to such unfortunate neighbors. My room is just on the same side of the fence as these guys in the next building. These guys run the generator during the day sometimes and don't miss the standard 7pm Nigerian generator time. It's on until 2am and sometimes all through the night. The generator sometimes runs out of petrol during the night and these fuckers refuel it and start it again until morning. I can't shut my window because it's just one window in my room and that would mean dying in heat. I haven't died of carbon monoxide poisoning because the fumes get diffused in the air before it can get to my window, hopefully it stays that way.
We've complained several times but the fuckers don't care. We complained to a higher authority but like I always say, shitty individuals make a shitty nation, nothing was done. I have to deal with constant headaches and sleeplessness. Some people have it worse, dying in their sleep as a result of someone else's foolishness. I don't want to die yet, there are better ways to die than an imposed dying in my sleep.
Its fucked up and sorry to hear that!
Another question. How hard would it be to install solar panels on some houses? And is it even posible?
Just curious
It's not hard at all...some houses and offices use that but just to power a few lightweight appliances. The installation is on the high side for an average family.
Okay cool.
Its good to know that its possible for it to be intalled.
Even if it requires a lot of money.
Thanks! :D
Chai sorry dear...
I remember during my service year, I lived in Lagos and where we lived had terrible supply of electricity, we had no choice than to fire up the gen day and night, ofcuz we kept ours outside, but due to the way Lagos is landscaped, with the houses tightly fused together and all, the neighbors felt as if the generator was on their head, plus they weren't running any, I remember each time the generator was turned off we would hear tons of curses being hurled at us lol, I was always freaked out to turn it on because of the insults and yells that will follow, but you see my other housemates didn't give a fvck,,...lol...
When the tables were turned tho, I had a neighbor who had a generator that sounded like one of those Dangote's trailer that wanted to fly, we could feel the vibration from everywhere in the house, that was when I knew the face of pure wickedness,....gladly, service ended and I happily packed my load.
No light. One of the detriments of being a Nigerian...sadly
Good you guys got a taste of your own medicine 😂😂
The light situation is terrible but at least we should all be considerate using our generators.
Link to tweet
Oh so sorry for the discomforts, i really feel your pains. Don't worry, you'll soon get your better resident. It's just a matter of time. I hope things get better soon in Nigeria.
It's a permanent residence so we're stuck here
Oh no, that's too unbearable, knowing fully well that carbon monoxide is highly toxic to health and deplets oxygen flow in the lungs and body. I suggest you'll need to laise with your neighbors diplomatically. If he/she is not complying, report to the appropriate authorities again to get them aware of the level of discomfort displayed by your neighbor for appropriate actions.
It's so sad to still find Nigeria in this kind of mess after about 60 years of supposedly independence.
The poorly constructed roads claim lives on the highways (I've had my own hand of the unfair die).
Still death looms in homes in quest for electricity... Don't mean to compare but need to say that even the labeled "so small, younger" and apparently poorer countries like Republic of Benin and Mali I've lived in have these (especially electricity) well put together... I hope the "Giant of Africa" will someday live to her name and not only in size.
Not to be pessimistic but with the way the country is going, it will never live to that name
Logically, this Large vessel is fast sinking, we can only hope that it doesn't drown completely like the great Titanic