Hmmmm... Where do I start from?
I live in Gwazunu-Suleja, Niger State, North-Central Nigeria
UP NEPA!!! This is the shout you will hear all around from children and adults alike in my area whenever the power comes on. This is as a result of the measly power supply we do get. After staying for hours or in some cases, days without electricity, the people get so joyful to see their light bulbs glowing again and this prompts them to give an excited shout. Although, sometimes, the joy does not last as the power supply will be cut off almost immediately.
Whenever power supply is mentioned in relation to my area, we always feel depressed because it seems we do pay for darkness instead of the light we wanted. It sometimes get so frustrating that we get to think we are not connected to the power grid of the nation. We get served with leftovers of the current given to other areas I think.
For decades here, the supply of power we get has always been a thing of sadness. I remember sometimes in 2005 when our ancient transformer got spoilt, it took almost 3 years for it to get replaced. The day the power was restored, although briefly, my 2 year old younger sister then was staring at the bulb in amazement, for she had not seen such from her birth until she clocked two.
Two decades down the line, the story remains the same. In a day, if we get lucky, we get a maximum of 3-4 hours of power supply and that is all. This accounts for days in which the supply is done because sometimes we do go days without electricity. Any day we get too lucky, it may ride up to 4-6 hours but that happens once in a blue moon.
Imagine this happening in a state which is home to the hydro-electric dam, supplying the country with electricty. Pathetic!
With the irregular and poor supply of power, the electricity bills still keeps on skyrocketing. We pay more than we get supplied with and it would have been an ideal time for one to use a prepaid meter since it will guarantee getting the value of what we pay for but getting access to a prepaid meter here is very difficult and almost impossible for the average person, as the electricity distribution company attach exorbitant prices to the purchase of each prepaid meter. So, we still make use of the postpaid method, getting our electricity directly. What a way to get cheated!
The electric distribution company focus their supply on the more developed areas where the elite reside or in areas with factories as these will boost their earnings. The reason for this is that, the elites will not take it lightly with them if the supply is poor and also, the more supply they make to such areas, the more the prepaid meters keep burning the units, more sales for them. And also, they supply the factories steadily as they get paid hugely for that.
So, in other to improve the over all power supply and let both the electricity distribution company and the people get satisfaction, the company should make the prepaid meter available to all and this may ensure equitable distribution of power.
I just wish for a day to come where I won't worry about my light bulbs going cold, except if I switch them off.