An interesting article I came across a few years back on #dailytrust that have been in my saved pages for long. I felt its worth sharing it again on this group. IS DAURA ON THE NATIONAL GRID? BY HAJIYAYYE LIMAN, 25 NOVEMBER 2011 A few days back the PHCN workers went on strike leaving us to learn that half a loaf is better than none. We learnt to appreciate the scarce electricity we have been complaining about. A lot of things grounded to a halt as we incurred extra expenses buying fuel. Grunts and grudges came from all angles. From businesses that rely on electricity, to house wives who have stuffed their freezers, to husbands whose budgets are now tampered with, to the little kids who have become addicted to the little box (sorry, flat screen) but were now told they must do without this nanny they have so gotten used to at least in the afternoon because theres no light. As a Nigerian, I know one of the things one must do to keep himself sane, is to believe that these things can come up any time, as we really do not have essential services that never go on strike whatever the situation, in Nigeria. So you must be ready for such a situation at all times and adapt because there is no point worrying about it, you just wait that period out. It was as we were waiting and wondering how long the dark spell would last that one of my little ones, just nine yrs old made a comment on the third day without electricity that, wallahi garin kamar Daura. I looked up to give an answer, (they say, I always defend my home town). How can you equate lack of electricity with Daura? I wanted to snap at him but I then realized hes just a child saying his mind. I could correct him if hes wrong or let sleeping dogs be if theres any truth to his statement. My home town Daura is 74 kilometres from the State capital, Katsina. It is home to the famous Kusugu well and the legendary Bayajida, the progenitor of the Hausa Bakwai who went on to form the Hausa city states. It is home to a population of over quarter of a million peace loving Nigerians. I know we are still Nigerians even if coupists had once declared us ejected from the united unit called Nigeria. And so we deserve this basic infrastructure our country exports right across the border to our neighbours in Niger Republic. (light is a blessing of our lord). After staying for days without light as I was used to, I came to appreciate this fact further and realized what the child said was true, but while he was making comparisons because of the darkness he sees, I realized I was making comparisons on the discomfort I was experiencing, tiny little things we take for granted which people back home live with everyday. Its no wonder that children still shout NEPA whenever PHCN graces the town with a few hours of light while their fellows from the neighbouring fulani villages go yite warti! yite warti! (light is back). Theres a smile on the faces of their parents for a few hours of respite as their fans blow the heat away. Bordering on the Sahara, Daura is a town that also bothers on the two extremes. When it is hot, it is so hot that a jar of Vaseline sitting on the dressing table easily melts. On such hot days people who can afford, fuel their generators to make ice or transport it from Kano to make brisk business. They have been at it for years especially at the peak of the hot season when for several days Daura would be without light. Heat, fumes from generating sets, noise from generating sets, closure of businesses, lack of incentive to set up new ones, lack of pipe borne water, these are all problems generated by lack of electricity in Daura town. For so many years we made the yan garuwa (water sellers) from neighbouring Niger republic rich. We have been deprived of pipe borne water that you can build a house in Daura without bothering to wire a tap. Our taps have been without water for so long that when my nephew came for a visit to Kaduna the highlight of his visit was the discovery that water comes out of this thing. This thing he has seen in his home ever since he was born some ten years back is the tap, but has never seen it run. Watching such situations one cannot but pity those that have stolen NEPA funds, they that deprived so many of the simple pleasures of life. They may enjoy the splendour of this life, if they can forget having deprived people of something that is essentially theirs. Travelling to Daura at night from Kano or Katsina, lights blink at you as you pass towns and villages, but on getting to Daura you find there is no light. Are we so far from the national grid that the great Nigerian engineers at PHCN are incapable of giving us light? Couldnt there be alternative solutions? Before the massive importation of generating sets into the country, such was a time if you came into Daura at night, youll only see lights at the Ciromas house, if you came through kofar kudu, or at the Emirs palace if you came through kofar yamma. What happened that things stooped to this level? We have been so submissive or nonchalant that we just accepted the situation as normal without complain. A few years back we cheered as work started on a sub- station and the House committee Chairman in charge was even turbaned with the title Sarkin Haske (the only one in Nigeria I believe). When worked stopped and light still wasnt available in Daura, I heard skeptics point out that we honor people even before they perform any duty to deserve the honor, but Id like to be optimistic and so it was a glad tidings when I was called and informed a few days back that more equipment had been brought to the site of the substation and now theres an increase in the ration of electricity supply to Daura. This is good news. With democracy, we can push for more developmental projects to bring jobs and other means of sustenance to our teeming youths. This is a clarion call on you young hosts of Bayajida, please impact on your democratic representatives if nothing else that let there be light! It will be the push the young ones need and for the ingenious ones among them the sky would be their limit as they quit zaman majalissu (whiling away time at their various courts) or improvise ways in the majalissu to put availability of light to good use. Therefore those of Ogoni, Ulamau, Kandahar, Galaba, Gaskiya da Gaskiya, Kangiwa, Tarno, Hamudan, Kwargwam, Gamji, and several other majalissu, being able to come together at these courts shows how united we can be as a people. The next step is to work towards the progress of Daura. Now that we have seen the light, we should vow never to let the dark days/years gone by to come again.
Posted on: Tue, 28 Jan 2014 21:35:48 +0000
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