Some Nigerian road-users accuse highway hawkers of damaging roads to create traffic jam (go-slow) for doing business. Whether the accusation is true or false, highway hawkers benefit immensely from thick traffic-jams caused by bad roads. Drivers and passengers who spend hours in traffic-jams get hungry and dehydrated having to patronize the hawkers. As hawkers benefit from traffic-jams on bad roads, so do some people benefit from electric power-failure in Nigeria. Whether they contribute to the darkness through government influence and sabotage or not, they benefit greatly from people’s suffering.
Nigeria is reported to supply electricity to neighbouring countries, and electricity-generating resources to other continents. Despite that, Nigerians have continued to experience poor electric power supply. Due to the poor supply, many Nigerians try to provide electricity for themselves by getting generators and fuel from importers. Those who need power for learning or industry, but cannot afford expensive generators and constant fuel (from importers) stay idle. The air-pollution, idleness, missed chances of earning from electric-powered services and pain of staying in darkness affect Nigerians adversely.
What is electricity?
Electricity is a form of energy charged from elementary particles, usually supplied as electric current through cables for lighting, heating or driving machines.[1] This is the type of power utilized in factories, industries, offices, schools and homes for operating different machines and appliances. Electric energy is at the foundation of modern productivity in all productive societies of the world.
How is electricity generated and distributed?
In 1831, Michael Faraday discovered that when a magnet is moved inside a coil of wire, an electric current flows in the wire.[2] So, turning propellers in a turbine to spin magnets surrounded by copper wire, circulates electrons across atoms to generate electricity. The energy for turning propellers in a turbine for generating electricity is derived from nature as natural gas, coal, uranium, ocean tide or winds.[3] In thermal power-plants, fuels like coal, natural gas, bio-mass and uranium are used to heat water until it produces steam to power a turbine and generate electricity.[4][5] Solar photovoltaic panels generate electrical power by converting solar radiation into electricity using semi-conductors. The main materials required for generating electricity are coal, uranium, natural gas, copper and electro-magnets.
Several processes and devices like transformers are used to distribute electricity to consumers depending on the generation output. An industrialized city of 1 million in the US uses 10,000 MWh or 36 gigajoules per person per capita.[6] The requirement for any developing industrial nation is that at the least one gigawatt (1000MW) of electricity generation and consumption is required for every one million population.[7]
Electricity in Nigeria
In 1896, British colonialists brought the first Nigeria’s electricity generation through a power plant that was set up in Lagos[8] to serve the colonial officials. In 1929, Nigeria Electricity Supply Company (NESCO) that was formed to build power plants across Nigeria constructed a hydroelectric power station at Kuru, Jos. In 1952 Electricity Corporation of Nigeria (ECN) that was formed to commercialize electricity constructed 132KV line linking Ijora Power Station and Ibadan Power station. In 1962, Niger Dams Authority was established for hydropower transmission and merged with the existing ECN to form the National Electric Power Authority (NEPA). The 1500 megawatts electricity supply was mostly concentrated in the urban areas, until urban migration required electricity from the power sector. In 2001, the National Electric Power Authority was changed to Power Holding Company of Nigeria PHCN, for eventual privatization of the distribution process.
Given the need for industrialization and increased productivity, Nigerian population of 180 million require at least 170,000 megawatts of electricity.[9] Unfortunately, recent generation and distribution of electricity in Nigeria continuously fluctuate between 3000 and 5500 megawatts. The remaining deficit is hardly provided by individual consumers who can afford generators and fuel. United Kingdom of 30 million people generates 80,000MW; Germany of 30 million people generates 120,000MW; Egypt of 90 million people generates 24,000MW; South Africa with 60 million population has 40,000MW and Nigeria with 180 million population generates a paltry 4,000MW.[10][11]
Obstacles to solving electricity problem in Nigeria
Despite having resources – coal, natural-gas, uranium, copper and engineers – to generate electricity, Nigeria remains in darkness and unproductivity. Resolving electricity problem in Nigeria may be impossible without understanding economic and socio-political hurdles to electricity generation and distribution.
British colonialists created Nigeria by yoking several dissimilar and unconsented groups and kingdoms together[12][13] for economic exploitation.[14] Before independence, colonialists extracted and exported people’s natural resources to Europe, while Nigerians relied on their products. At independence, they replaced themselves with Europe-trained politicians, military and civil servants to sustain the supply of natural resources.[15] Then, Nigerian government seizes and sells[16][17][18] mineral resources to former colonialists for foreign products. Thus, intelligent Nigerians cannot access resources and support for generating electricity, instead of importing fuel and generators. Despite confiscating the resources for generating electricity, Nigerian electricity is allegedly sabotaged by fuel and generator foreign producers and local importers.
Since Nigerians are denied access to resources for general productivity, electricity is seen as luxury, instead of instrument for production. The few people who use electricity for economic activities in the service sector are forced to pay exorbitantly for it. Thus, some Nigerians accuse distribution companies of intentionally frustrating the meter distribution, in order to exploit people with estimated bills. In revenge for exorbitant bills, some Nigerians waste electricity, when available, by powering multiple electric appliances, even when they travel.
To resolve Nigeria’s electricity problem, Nigeria need to define its purpose and urgency to the Nigerian economy. Progressive societies are formed by the people’s agreement to educate themselves and collaborate in transforming natural resources to useful commodities. Steady electricity becomes a necessity for educating citizens and transforming natural resources in industries. If Nigerian electricity is mainly for watching television and enjoying other imported electric appliances, it may never be sustained. But when the different communities in Nigeria see electricity as power for productivity and wealth-creation, they will take it seriously.
Hence, the steps for resolving electricity crisis in Nigeria may include:
- The different communities and kingdoms have to distinguish themselves and their resources to renegotiate their partnership in Nigeria. Hence, they will retrieve access to their resources for industry.
- Using both foreign and local engineers, the different sections can reform their engineering sectors to practice production using accessible local resources within their sections.
- Major stakeholders in the electric industries (including fuel and generator importers) have to find a new path. The new path can include having the opportunity to invest in their communities or sections with capacity to generate and distribute electricity. These investments will also cover the gradual production of several distribution materials like meter to complement the foreign ones. They will be free to invite foreign experts to collaborate with Nigerians in using mainly Nigeria resources in producing these devices.
- Other local and foreign investors can then invest in electricity-generation for further productivity. The businesspeople who had allied with foreign companies will be offered privileges to invest in, or establish local industries in Nigeria for production.
Human beings are often afraid of change, especially when have gotten used to advantages in an old order. Despite the advantages we derive from harmful structures, reordering social structures for harmonious growth promises even cleaner advantages. So, Nigerians will rise, distinguish themselves and demonstrate their productivity in electricity-generation and other forms of productivity.
[1] Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary, International Student’s Edition. S.V. Electricity
[2] https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/index.php?page=electricity_generating
[3] Greg Carney and Lee Patrick Sullivan, Energy now – Energy 101
[4] https://www.originenergy.com.au/blog/about-energy/what-is-electricity.html
[5] Ibid
[6] Keith R. Lavimodiere, https://www.quora.com/How-much-electricity-does-an-industrialized-city-of-1-million-people-consume
[7] Sunday Oduntan, in The Guardian https://guardian.ng/business-services/nigeria-needs-160000mw-to-meet-national-electricity-demands/
[8] https://www.vtpass.com/blog/index.php/2017/11/29/wayback-history-electricity-nigeria/ retrieved 29th May, 2018
[9] https://guardian.ng/business-services/nigeria-needs-160000mw-to-meet-national-electricity-demands/
[10] Sunday Oduntan, in The Guardian op. cit
[11] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_electricity_consumption
[12] Ogban Ogban-Iyan, Re-inventing Nigeria through Pre-colonial traditions, in Issues in contemporary political economy of Nigeria, (ed.) Hassan A. Saliu. (Ilorin, Sally & Associates, 1999). P77
[13] cf. Richard Dowden, Africa altered states, ordinary miracles. (New York: Public Affairs, 2010). p.445
[14] Cf. Walter Rodney, How Europe underdeveloped Africa (Abuja: Panaf, 2009). P.293
[15] Cf. Walter Rodney. Op. cit.
[16] Nigerian minerals and mining act 2007 act no. 20, chapter 1, Part 1, Section 1, paragraph 2
[17] Nigerian minerals and mining act 2007 act no. 20, chapter 1, Part 1, Section 2, paragraph 1
[18] Nigerian minerals and mining act 2007 act no. 20, chapter 1, Part 1, Section 1, paragraph 3