By Denrele Animasaun

“Them go reach bed, power no dey, Them go reach road, go-slow go come, Them go reach road, police go slap, Them go reach road, army go whip, Them go look pocket, money no dey, Them go reach work, query ready.” Fela

I knew something was  amiss, when my father quoted Fela’s shuffering and shmiling in his text to me, two days ago. Here is the text:  “Shuffering and shmiling was Fela’s song some decades ago, except that we, in the community in Dopemu, Lagos, are not smiling. This is our fourteenth day without electricity; there has been no news as to when the light will be restored.

They did not inform us nor update us as to why we are without power. All our stored food in the fridge and freezer of meat, fish and other perishables have been destroyed and nobody is talking of making it good. Since the electricity was privatized, the company Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company (IKEDC) promised us continuous supply of energy and now see what they are doing to  us.

The community under its leaders, Baale Shuab Afogunlowo and Rev. Fagbemi met to set up a strategic committee to confront this menace. But they are keeping their strategies to their chest”.

I asked him how they were coping, he said, it was an inconvenience and an additional costs. He was more concerned for those who are more disadvantaged and how this affects the community in general. This seems to be the consensus; that people in power and services do not care for the ordinary Nigerians.

Water is at the premium, especially for those who do not have access to free flowing water, they now have to pay over the odds for their water.

I asked my dad, if it has ever been this bad before, he said, bad is relative and I did not ask him to explain as I fully understood what he meant.

What is happening in Dopemu is happening in and around Nigeria, so can someone tell me, who says Nigeria is getting better? Fela captured the state of our nation so succinctly and after decades since his song nothing has changed; in fact, everything has worsened.

This lack of power supply also has a knock on effect on so many things; the food sellers, the pepper grinders and the water sellers, not to talk of local businesses that rely mainly on some semblance of power to run their livelihood. They have had to rest their business, tools or facto in the additional cost of petrol to run the generator for their business.

To expect a regular supply of power seems to be beyond the reach of ordinary Nigerians who cannot afford a generator or the petrol to run it. The health of those who can afford generators fare no better as they live with noise pollution, carcinogenetic fumes and the fire hazards. This has a long impact on their quality of health.

As usual, like any other aspects of life in Nigeria, we expect no better; nothing works so get on with life. We have come to take  it in  our stride but the lack of constant power in Nigeria has costs  lives and lost of man hours to the nation’s economy, that is incalculable. Imagine, if we had continuous power, the benefit to Nigerians in terms of income, foreign investments, home grown businesses and the quality of life.

Well, we can only imagine because here we are, in 2014 that remains a pipe drain for many Nigerians and our nation. I remember when I was home many years ago, how the whole street would erupt in jubilation with “Up NEPA” when power is restored after hours of no light. Then, the neighborhood will heave a sigh of resignation when, it goes off in the middle of watching a programme or sitting with family. Nothing, it seems has changed since then, over twenty-five years ago. This remains a sad part of life in Nigeria today.

In the meantime, our leaders remain hell-bent holding desperately to the vestiges of power and money as if their very existence depends on it. To these desperados, I say to them; you will not be remembered and long after they are gone, people will, if at all, when they do speak of them, it will be with such derision and contempt. Do they care? Of course not! So why are our people giving them the keys to our nations ‘vaults, establishments and the corridor of power to them? Seriously, will you invite a burglar to guide your home and your family? So why do we celebrate incompetent services, leaders and corrupt businesses then?

We have been conditioned to expect less and to be grateful for what we are given although, we pay for the service. We do not get a good service and we continue to pay over the odds and then these incompetents then rub salt into the wounds when we  dare protests, then they become indignant  and dig deep into  our  pockets to pay  more for  the lack of service. Where else in the world does this happen and you have no way to address the injustice? Only in Nigeria!

No wonder things do not run the way it should; our standard RAISON D’ÊTRE is to oil the machinery of incompetence and ineptness by more incompetence and belligerence.

And our leaders, well, they are a representation of the majority of Nigerian psyche; expect a lot for nothing.   So the Nigerian mentality is, if you can then exploit some more and make them grateful for much less.
Some years ago, my older sister came to visit in the UK, after many years in Nigeria. She woke up so early one morning and she seemed as hurried as she got the iron and the ironing board out. She proceeded ironing her clothes so, when I asked her why she was ironing at such early hours. She  replied “I have to  finish ironing before  NEPA takes  the  light”  well, it is only when  her  words  sank in that she  realized that she is not in Nigeria and that the  power supply is  constant.

It seemed that she had got so used to the routine back home and was primed for the interrupted power, which did not happen.

She then looked at me and told me not to utter a word about what had happened. So between me and you, am sure she would not mind that I share it to make a point.