Have you noticed that there is almost always a national power failure or grid collapse whenever a holiday is observed in Nigeria? The continual trend of this situation increases fuel demand as individuals queue up at gas stations to purchase petrol ahead of any festivity.
Some days back, there was a public holiday in commemoration of the Eid al-Fitr celebration. However, as the holiday kicked off, power outage kicked in as the National grid experienced a partial collapse, defeating the purpose of stay-at-home Nigerians during the holiday.
The electricity conundrum during the holiday is indeed difficult to solve because the need for electricity during this time cannot be overemphasised. First, people are hoping to relax during this period from hectic workdays and sleep for extended hours than usual under the cooling effect of a fan; others have their laundry and ironing to carry out. The kitchen aspect is not left out, as there is a lot of cooking and refrigerating.
During holidays and festivities, utility companies in Nigeria choose to remind Nigerians that they are the country with the most frequent power outages in Africa is rather difficult to comprehend.
Given that Nigerians are already adapted to a power outage with more than half of the country’s populace owning a generator for back up power supply; the least utility companies can do, is to provide electricity during any holiday, bearing in mind that many persons would love to enjoy the time with their loved ones at home.