In a recently published article for the New York Times, acclaimed Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie lamented over the poor ‘light’ condition in Nigeria, describing it as “febrile and malignant”.
“The quality is as poor as the supply,” Adichie explained in the article, going further to narrate a personal episode that caused a major scare. “Once, my guest room air-conditioner caught fire,” she wrote. She is not alone as most Nigerians can testify to not only losing an appliance, but on some occasions a loved one.
The scarcity or lack of electricity in Nigeria is not a recent issue, but one that has plagued the country for decades. Power supply in the country has been poor for about 30 years. Prior to the 90s, there was no substantial investment in the power sector despite a continuous surge in demand. Though the amount of electricity generated has grown by more than 50 percent since then, distribution remains bad and supply growth has been snail-paced.
The generator generation
Just like Adichie, most Nigerians have found succour in their generators, creating one of the highest concentrations of small-scale generators in the world. “Two-thirds of all electricity is produced in basements and backyards, at a cost of $13 billion a year,” reports the Economist. The state of electricity in Nigeria has made the sale of generators a thriving and lucrative business. To keep up the surge of demand, some generator merchants have set up assembly plants, with amusing testimonies of government patronage. Even funnier is the tale of power distributing companies owning and utilising generators.
Suffice to say, these machines do not run on water, and like Adichie, a reasonable percentage of an average Nigerian’s income is spent on the purchase of diesel or fuel, not for vehicles, but to run generators. “The generator is electricity as electricity should be. It is also the repository of a peculiar psychology of Nigerian light: the lifting of mood… The generator swallows litres and litres of diesel. Each time I count out cash to buy yet another jerrycan full, my throat tightens. I spend more on diesel than on food,” Adichie wrote.
Generators have become an essential household commodity in Nigeria, a non–debatable acquisition. Most privileged Nigerians own more than one; big ones to accommodate heavy appliances like air conditioners and refrigerators, and smaller ones to power light bulbs, TV’s and fans. Not so privileged Nigerians opt for miniature generators, commonly dubbed ‘I better pass my neighbour.’
A social suffering
“I cannot help but wonder how many medical catastrophes have occurred in public hospitals because of ‘no light,’ how much agricultural produce has gone to waste, how many students forced to study in stuffy, hot air have failed exams, how many small businesses have foundered. What greatness have we lost, what brilliance stillborn? I wonder, too, how differently our national character might have been shaped, had we been a nation with children who took light for granted, instead of a nation whose toddlers learn to squeal with pleasure at the infrequent lighting of a bulb,” Adichie writes.
Righting the wrongs
She rightly points outs the undeniable significance of electricity “amid severe security concerns”, stating that it “remains an essential and poignant need”. The acclaimed author has brought afore a subject that has in recent times been shrugged over by both the government and its citizens, especially citizens. Very few seem willing to stage a protest over the state of electricity as most have gotten accustomed to the constant grunt of generators.
So, as Nigerians vote in the upcoming elections, they should indeed vote for “a government that would create an environment for steady and stable electricity with the simple luxury of a monthly bill.”
Nigerian born Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is the award winning author of Purple Hibiscus, Half of a Yellow Sun, and Americanah.
