I’m currently going through a severe power crisis. And no, it’s not a political power crisis, just normal power. And for the first time since something like this happened, I’m actually scared because I really don’t know when it will end. As in, everything that could go wrong is just going wrong at the moment, and the more I try to stay afloat, the more factors that are beyond my control keep swamping me.
Like, at a point, it starts to look like it’s a targeted attack. Kinda systemic to me because of the way it’s happening, the timing of everything, and the possible repercussions that it could have. There is just no way I can believe that all these are coincidences. Nah, that’s not possible. Someone out there is definitely out to get me.
As we all know, the US and Isreal ae currently at war with Iran, and just a few days back, Iran pulled a move that no one had expected. They blocked the Strait of Hormuz, something that dealt a very big blow to the global transportation of crude oil. Now, you might wonder, how does something happening on the other side of the world affect me? Especially when Nigeria is a oil producing country, and we have an oil refinery? Well, calm down, I’ll gist you.
We have Dangote Refinery, but he doesn’t just supply Nigerians, he supplies other countries as well, and as a result, the amount of crude oil his refinery operates on at full capacity on a good day cannot be provided by Nigeria alone, which means he also has to import crude oil, refine it, and then sell to marketers. Now, while he sells to marketers in Naira, he buys the crude oil based on the dollar prices. This includes the oil he sources locally and the one he imports.
The dollar has a huge role to play in everything. So, when Iran blocked the Strait of Hormuz, the price per barrel of oil went up! This was a ripple effect all over the world, including here in Nigeria. And because dear Dangote is a businessman who wouldn’t want to run his business at a loss, he increased the price of fuel as well. And that was how, within one week, the price of fuel went from N850 to N1250!!!
Yeah, it’s crazy, but if this war keeps going on, it will only get worse! And now, besides all that, we seem to be having a power issue. We’ve not been having light for well over one week now, which means I have to be powering my generator. And if I don’t have power, how will a remote worker like me work? How do I even explain to my client that there is no light and fuel is scarce?
Oh yeah, did I mention that fuel is scarce? This is simply because of greed. Marketers are hoarding fuel, hoping that when the price goes even higher, they’ll sell and make a mad profit. And so, there is a major fuel scarcity right now. My road that used to be packed with cars is now almost barren, it’s hard to see a vehicle because no way to power them.
And this is what happens when people are only interested in what they want and not in how their actions will affect the collective good. From the wars to the oil, to the marketers, and down to the filling stations… everyone is only acting in their best interests. And from the look of things, the rest of the world can go to hell.
But that’s the irony, because if care is not taken, we’re more than halfway there already.
