I knew I would not be able to cook anything at home since there was no water, so I branched to the nearest canteen on my way home from the office. I also left the office with the thought of how to get water to have my bath tomorrow morning, at the back of my mind.
What happened?!
It should be about two months or over now, when my sister said she received an SMS from the electricity service provider that there would be erratic power supply for some days for the reason they stated in the text message. So for once, we started believing that maybe this could actually mean a transformation in the operations and the service rendered by NEPA , the accustomed name for electric power authority in Nigeria though its name has been changed to 'power holding' instead.
They sent an SMS the last time right? Now I'm wondering if that won't be the only SMS notification we ever get from NEPA , because this time 'they' just took the light like 'they' normally would at any time of the day and since then electricity was not returned for six days straight.
Because our 'better pass your neighbor' generator can't carry the pumping machine and even kept developing fault, we could not pump water too. When we were done managing what was left in the water tank,
meruwa (Northerners who fetch and sell water in Jerry cans) became a very pleasant face to see, became king in place of the customers patronizing them and made one to think of starting the business too (That's a joke).
Almighty OAU! Who does
aluta like no other, I know this kind of rubbish would never be condoned on OAU Ile-Ife campus. Even with a memo about the situation. Anything that causes students all around hostels to have to search for water for more than two days or have erratic power supply for about that time is taunting them for a protest. Before you know it, you are hearing the bugle for you to join the 'struggle' with explanations in thick political vocabulary.
If electrical power did not return by this evening it would have been a week NEPA took our electricity without explanation. But no, God saved them 'they' returned our light last night.
Like the same thing that happens in OAU was going to happen here too *scoffs*. I'm sure people who know the
aluta drill and participated in their time, live in the same area I reside, but don't even have the guts to do so now and I wonder why. Is it 'Bystanders effect' or what?
They returned our electricity and I'm glad I don't have to smile at
meruwa (for now) because I want water.
But should we actually keep silent for the way we are being treated by NEPA?
