Nigeria Electric Production Authority (NEPA)/Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) is an interesting lil’ sucka for an organization. This company provides electric power to the entire Nigerian nation…but its service provision does not reach all Nigerians at the same time. In other words, the nation currently only has the capacity to supply a certain number of areas at the same time, which means that for about 20 hours out of the day, people are without power unless they have a fuel-powered generator.
Over the Valentine’s Day weekend, we had been without nation-supplied power since Friday afternoon, totaling about 72hours. This was the longest time I’d been without power since I’ve arrived (I learned, though, that people have been without such power for up to TWO WEEKS!!!) Now, electricity in a home, when I really think about it, isn’t really that important…until the discussion comes to running water and fans working during 90+degree weather. In the last week or so, the heat hasn’t been so bad, so the fans weren’t really that pressing. However, running water was and still is. And electricity is needed to pump the water into the well…and, yup, you guessed it, the well had dried up. So, the household was forced to go to its back-up water supplies in 2 water storage areas. By the end of the weekend, both of those had dried up as well…
Luckily, Sunday night, NEPA came and we resumed with the life.
Even though NEPA came that night, I learned that the issue of power supply is larger than the “people at the top” turning a switch. PURE Water, which is a brand used here to ensure that all people have access to “clean” water, comes in plastic bags about the size of a pop-tart (a little bigger though). And, because there’s no structured recycling system here in Nigeria (even though everywhere one looks, there’s signs about “Keep Nigeria Clean”…the irony is beyond words really), these plastic bags get thrown various places, picked up and dumped into a river that is the base for generating power. Now, LOL, because these two systems are coming together, what ends up happening is the water-flow (infested with all this plastic) clogs the intake for the generator that gives the nation power…which needs to be turned off to be unclogged. So, we are without consistent power, for one, because another system (environmental friendliness) is affecting power production.
It’s clearER to me that everything works together to provide a larger, basic need. SO, NEPA/PHCN isn’t really the bane of my existence…it’s moreso of our lack, as humanity, to respect Mother Nature.
Speaking of Mother Nature, update on Johnny the Dog (read previous blog about specifics on this creature). Anyways, Johnny has received support from all because of his heroics in attacking a recent intruder of the compound some night last week. Basically, a house-helper from the neighboring compound decided she didn’t want to work for the family anymore, and was going to escape from that commitment [at night] by jumping over the fence of her compound and leaving out the front of our compound. However, Johnny wasn’t having it and he got her behind. **womp womp** I still don’t care for Johnny, though….
I’ve made it one month (officially) and I feel great about accomplishing such a big feat. Praying that God continues to keep me safe and healthy.
:)
JadeinNigeria
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2 comments:
Johnny bit her booty? Oh my. I mean, ole girl couldn't just give her resignation- why was she climbing walls in the dark? Lawdhavemercy.
Come back to me quickly! Love and miss you dearly.
hee hee, I feel like Johnny the dog should be some kind of cartoon figure.
((and sorry to hear about the electricity madness! It's a pain!))
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