NIGERIA AND CONSTANT ELECTRICITY

It is no more news that Nigeria, out of the 138 rated countries, is better than only war-torn Yemen in terms of electricity supply. We always knew that our electricity generation, distribution and supply were not the best available on earth but it shocked me that we regressed while other countries progressed.
The reasons behind this are not so numerous. But what are the effects of Constant Electricity in Nigeria?
The following reasons can be considered the effects of constant power supply on the economy and peoples of a country:
a. Industrialization
b. Information flow
c. Life expectancy

INDUSTRIALIZATION
Nigeria, despite being blessed with natural resources, is a poorly industrialized country. This has robbed us of the economic growth that comes with the addition of value to raw materials. The service companies that accompany these industries also bring employment opportunities and knowledge with them to the host countries.
The instability of power supply has made the industrialists depend on other sources of energy for power generation. This power generation will be included in the overall costs of goods manufactured. Most of these alternative sources of energy are oil dependent. Hence, the volatility in the price of crude oil affects the cost of manufacturing, transport and subsequently the cost of goods in the country.
Alternatively, the availability of constant power in Nigeria will:
i. Stabilise the price of goods
ii. Increase the number of companies in Nigeria. Thus, it will reduce the number of businesses solely built on the exchange of goods for profit without value addition.
iii. Grow the size and output of the economy.
Among other positive effects it will have on the Nigerian society.
INFORMATION FLOW
Timely information rules the world. The informed leader is always far ahead of his followers. This is the same with countries. The countries that have a fast and free flow of information are always far ahead of those who do not. Little wonder why Nigeria is lagging behind, in many areas, on the world stage.
Information is power. This power is what belongs to the people in a democracy. Nigeria is called a democratic country but information is difficult to be obtained by the citizenry. Most citizens are not internet-savvy. This goes without saying that the majority of the Nigerian populace are largely ignorant and the average IQ is low. This constitutes a major problem for the country as ‘ignorance is poison’.
If the liberation of the people is the goal of any government; if wholesome education is the goal, then the leaders will move to ensure that the nation has a constant supply of power. Projects like the Broadband rescheduled for 2018 would be an uphill task with the instability of the power sector in Nigeria.
The Broadband2018 is a development project for Nigeria; the goal being to increase internet access in the country. This will lead to information penetration into all parts of the country. The level of widespread development it will bring will not be covered in one book.
But, this will not be possible as the cost of Internet Service Provision makes it high-priced for the common man. This inhibits, sometimes hinders, his internet access.
The availability of power and subsequently information will also improve the quality of education received in the country. The case of circulation of obsolete knowledge in our universities will be weakened. Hence, the brain-drain we suffer as a country will be reduced if not stopped and converted to brain-gain.

IMPPROVEMENT ON THE LIFE EXPECTANCY
This was my motivation to write this piece. Most times, the effect of lack of constant electricity on the Nigerian populace is not seen in this light. I would elucidate thus:
a. The grandmother in the village burns wood to generate heat and light for domestic use. She knows not that she inhales the dangerous gas, methane, while cooking some food to stay alive. Apparently, she is being killed by the means she is employing to prepare some food to stay alive.
b. The use of generating sets in the country has killed our beloved ones. The carbon monoxide that comes from this set due to incomplete combustion is a lethal gas. The fact that is odourless increases the risk it poses to the human lives. This gas is known to dull the brain activity of humans that inhale it. The paradox of this is death in the search of comfort. How painful!
c. The unavailability of constant power aids in the increase of birth rates in a country. With the scarcity of capital resources in this country and a teeming number of migrants, that is one thing we don’t need.

It is therefore expedient to clamour, disturb, ask the government for the prioritization of constant power in whatever plans they have for the country.