HOW WAS YOUR NIGHT?

With respect to my Naija (Nigerian) friends, from the man in the street all the way to the President elect. This posting is not to belittling anyone, but something to ponder and reflect (especially my family and friends in Malaysia).

electric pylon at a nearby location

HOW WAS YOUR NIGHT?

When we first arrived, it was Madam who told me... "they just asked me how was my night?!" Well, my usual answer to her was "just tell them it was solid ecstasy, I am thankful to be married to a man with the appetite of a hungry lion in bed".. hahahaha... in fact what I told her was "just say it was ok, you slept well"

Can you believe it? They ask Madam how's her night! Or was it how's my performance? How dare they. But the woman asked the same question too!!! Hmmm... in my mind, they were wondering if Madam's dashing husband is a walking talking sex machine... hahahahahaha.. I wish.

But the truth is, it is all about the situation in this country actually. A sad truth, but I think..some of the nation in this world do experience the same thing.

Remember the frequent blackouts (just a few seconds or minutes until the huge generator is supplying the electricity?) in my earlier post? (Pre Assignment: Mummy!) smtg like that. That particular statement, in fact refers to it. The availability or the lack of it...electricity

a row of gen set at a nearby apartment

Picture this. A huge nation, a great one..rich in natural resources and hard working citizens still lack a basic necessity which is uninterrupted  electric supply 24/7/365. According to the papers I read, Nigeria generates only 1/10th of its 40,000MW demand. The country runs on generator.

one of the issue... but we can generate electricity thru other means too!

So, here and there there will be rolling black out or load shedding throughout the day. I am sure they have a way to prioritise who gets what and when. But I do feel something is amiss when people in the Oil and Gas industry used to say... you just poke anywhere, and there's oil! Ok..Ok...the reserve will deplete as years passes by, but the news on sabotage of fuel line to power station.. that is another issue altogether. We could have solar, coal powered plant etc etc... I am checking with some new friends I've made to see if coal is viable in certain states.

At Lagos Harbour

So, we start again: HOW WAS YOUR NIGHT?

Hot? Cold? Comfortable? Managed to sleep by the grace of god? God willing you will be able to sleep better tonite? 

While most of us in Malaysia and elsewhere, sleeping is the bestest activity you can have...it is a luxury here. Sleeping costs money. You need to put fuel in your generator to power your AC (air condition) or even a ceiling fan or the 16inch three bladed standing fan. And maybe by midnight or in the early morning... it might run out of fuel and that's it. Sweating till morning or worse, lay awake all night. 

One thing leads to another. Without electricity, no keeping stock of food at home...no fridge. Ok, most buy on daily basis and doesn't need one. Fine. What about mobile phones. Here, it is a common thing to see people with 2 or 3 mobile phones. Its due to coverage... that would need a lot of juice to charge right? Water pumps, oh my....they do need electricity to pump water in high rise building, apartments and condos, houses. Hospital? Airports... maybe, these high risk or value are impervious to all this. 

Lekki Bridge

Anyway, it is something that can be remedied. I did send some press cutting or rather images from the local papers to some people in Malaysia working in the power generation business about this opportunity. I met people. Lots of people with the help of a Malaysia Government officer based in Lagos. Opportunity is abundant here to make good business. 

I understand the stigma these Nigerians have in Malaysia and all over the world. But trust me, that is only a small number of them. There are 180 million of them here.. 1% is still 1.8million.. a good number. Worse, 1 in every 5 Africans are Nigerian! They are every where. Just because a few that caused so much trouble, we generalised the whole nation as a rotten one. "Kerana nila setitik, rosak susu sebelanga"..or One scabbed sheep is enough to spoil a flock (now I know). 

So, I did emailed...sms...WA respective people from the industry to come and take a look. Some requested letters to be invited here. But let me ask you, how many times you pay attention to emails or letter from Africa? I bet none. I met a young engineer during Ben's soccer practise, a Nigerian working for Shell. His advise to me was "play by the book, get yourself a good lawyer..". You want network? I have, my friends have, Madam's friends got it too...one of the Mgmt Team's network I can estimate worth in Billions of RM (its Ringgit Malaysia, mind you). But I cannot put all on the table all at once...after all, when you play poker..or Top Trumps, you play your hand well. Why use the biggest cat around if the smaller one catches the mice equally well too?

In the papers

So, to all business owners out there...you can contact me at atfie@yahoo.com and lets see how we can move forward. Yes,  there is profit to be made, but not at the expense of the locals here. Some company labelled their new business or business development as Expeditionary Dept. So come here and do your expedition...tell them what you have. What you can do or cannot do. How to recoup all your investments. Tell them. Tell them so they can help you, thus, you helping them in return. I find my Naija friends are very direct. They don't like you, they give you the royal salute. Be direct with them..be honest. 

Lastly, I do hope... well, I have a dream that some day... not too far in the future, when asked the same question:  HOW WAS YOUR NITE? The answer will be short, but perfect.

BEAUTIFUL

(this posting is dedicated to all the FC Wamco team currently in Amersfoort, Netherland)

JP, Anthony, Esther, Ngozi, Franklin etc etc..