Two months and one day in Nigeria

So I have been in Nigeria for two months, but this is an attempt at “a day in the life of me” because when I spoke to my Dad the other day he said he wanted more of a picture of my day, so here is a combination of yesterday and a typical day, hope its not too boring, but I thought I may as well share it with you


Waking up:

I set my alarm for 06:30 but normally wake earlier, one of the first questions in my mind is whether there is electricity, it is quite clear as there is a ceiling fan over my bed, and I definitely turn it on at night even if there is none when I sleep. Funnily enough by morning it doesn’t really matter if there is electricity, the main time it matters is when I am trying to sleep, one as the fan helps to create some air, and cools me a little, and two as the many noisy generators won’t be running.

Sometimes of course I wake up in the night and the fan is on and I can still hear the gens! Very annoying, but then I think if I had a generator, I would probably be fast asleep enjoying my air conditioning and not getting out of bed to stop the generator annoying my less fortunate neighbours.

And in case that is not clear, we do not have a generator or air conditioning.

However a glass of cold water from the fridge is always welcome!

Breakfast:

Today it was mango, normally its bread, sometimes I eat because I’m hungry, more often because I am taking anti-malarials, and you are supposed to take them with food. And of course I have tea, always tea, with have a gas cooker so that’s easy.

Washing:

And we have hot water, which is amazing, when we have running water and electricity at the same time which is reasonably often.

Travelling to work:

Its close, look at my google map, we walk, about 20 mins, take a “shared transport” (small mini-bus) for 20 Naira or a drop (taxi) for 150 Naria. My Abuja places

Work:

Well it’s just work really, today I am working on a proposal to the Swiss Embassy for a small grant to install an efficient wood stove in a school in Niger state. I am also working on the Clean Energy Bill, which is really an advocacy attempt to raise the profile of clean energy in government. Then there is my to do list, the Clean Development Mechanism, Carbon Trading, Small Hydro, and an article I am to write for the Daily Trust.

Water and tea:

We have a kettle and a water cooler, for those who know me this is very important, I drink a lot of tea and a lot of water, they both work when the electricity is on. When the electricity goes off we run off a battery and there is only 2.5kW for the whole office so air conditioning is replaced by ceiling fans and hot and cold water are replaced by warm water!

Lunch:

There is a place just opposite where we usually eat very tasty rice and beans. Nigerian food is full of “pepe” and mostly I like it. They do eat “cow skin” which is served at our cafe, and I can’t say I have yet developed the taste. Its usually served in a kind of roll of skin, a couple of times I have found it chopped up in a stew, yuck!

After work:

We finish at 5, and go home. Again the question is there NEPA? NEPA stands for Never Expect Power Again, well really its stands for Nigeria Electricity Power Authority or something which has now been changed to PHCN Power Handling Company of Nigeria or Problem has changed name. At this time of day electricity means, a cold glass of water, and maybe a hot shower. Once its dark it means electric light versus candles and the sound of everyone’s very noisy generators.

Yesterday the regional director of VSO was in Abuja and he took the volunteers for dinner, most evenings involve eating, staying in to read book / play scrabble / study / watch film, or going out for a drink with colleagues or other volunteers, (there are 5 of us based in Abuja).

Cooking:

The good thing about a big portion of rice and beans for lunch is that bread will do in the evening. I like cooking but its challenging here for so many reasons, mainly to do with electricity. Our fridge is fine at keeping water cold for a while, but in this climate even tomatoes can go off in one day, carrots may last two. So at the weekend I cook, but when we have had a good portion of rice and beans at lunch time, we tend to just make a sandwich or eat eggs and bread in the evening.

And so to sleep:

I tuck in the mosquito net, I turning on the fan, and if there is no NEPA, I inserting my ear-plugs and so to sleep!

Exercise or the lack of it:

Well as you know you are supposed to do this at least three times a week or is it five?. Since I have been in Abuja I have been jogging twice, and swimming about four times, some of the swimming could be termed exercise, some could be termed cooling off in the pool. So I still have work to do here! If sweating can be a measure of exercise, I can stream with sweat just sitting in the house, does that count!

And finally arriving in Zone 4 – 8, Port Said Street

Last week Velice and I moved to our new home.  It is a two bedroom flat on the first floor, and is very secure, it would take a determined person to get in here! I have to remember never to leave the house without a torch incase I come back after dark, the electricity is off, and I have to unlock the door at the top of the stairs. This involves putting my hand through a small opening to undo a padlock!

From zone 4

When we arrived there was no water or electricity, but since then the water has been fixed and the electricity is improving. It’s a luxury anyway isn’t it, after all I have three batteries for my laptop and plenty of candles!
I don’t mind candlelit evenings, I do object to everyone else’s generator, it gets very noisy when the electricity goes off as everyone who has one starts their generator. I sleep with the windows closed and ear plugs on those nights. When it works we have a fridge and ceiling fans, to keep us cool!

Zone 4 is a great location for changing hard currency if you have any, praying if you are a Muslim man, buying suya, which is delicious roasted meat, walking to work, walking to the main market, catching buses around Abuja, and buying the best bread and yoghurt that you can get in Abuja.  And of course there is a Mr Bigs - Nigeria's burger chain, I haven't felt the need for a burger yet but that day may come!

From zone 4

More Zone 4 pics

Abuja

Abuja is hot and dusty, its is a strange place, lots of roads that sometimes make me think of America, little public transport, mostly we use “drops” (green car with white stripes and a photo) a taxi to get around. Of course we have to bargain, the real fair is usually between 150 and 300 Naira, but the negotiations normally start at about 400.

There are nice places to go out for a drink or food, and supermarkets where you can buy everything that you can’t afford.  As VSOs we can go to the "British Village" where there is a pool!

Abuja pics

Starting Work at ICEED

ICEED is in a building called Bassan Plaza, on the third floor, and there is air conditioning – hurrah! Well actually there is air conditioning when the NEPA (electricity is on). When its off, we run off a battery, and resort to fans, and no kettle! All the computers are plugged into UPS, Universal Power Supply, which is basically a voltage regulator and battery.  Every time the power goes off, you have to move the plug from the socket that’s linked to the mains electricity, to the one connected to the battery.

My colleagues, have been very welcoming, they look like this www.iceednigeria.org/team.html I started work by attending a lot of workshops see photos, this means you get good lunch! I spent the first two days at a workshop to develop an advocacy strategy for the Clean Energy Bill, I’ve been to a workshop at the Hilton (good lunch and excellent electricity) on the Second National Communication on Climate Change, the (former) Minister for the Environment was there, unfortunately the next day the cabinet was dissolved, however he has since been re-instated. Another workshop on the National Adaptation Strategy and Action Plan.

My job so far will involve co-ordinating the Clean Energy Team, and we had a meeting today to develop a workplan, I will be working on wood stoves, small hydro, and the clean energy bill, and have to write an article for a national newspaper at the end of May.

ICEED pics

Workshop pics

A trip to Kaduna, and a look at the real Nigeria.

A few days into our in-country training, we were sent off to visit existing volunteers in their placements. I went with Anne, to visit Richard in Kaduna, Shmriti travelled with us to visit Marsje also in Kaduna
I feel like I am in Nigeria now, Abuja is a strange and rather sterile city, now I have seen a busy market, rural villages, eaten rice and stew in a tiny café, and ridden an okada.

Okadas are motorbike taxis, an important way of getting around outside of Abuja, and quite comfortable as long as you don’t think about “what if?” Nigerians seem to drive as though they can achieve a stopping distance of 0m however fast they are going.

So in Kaduna, we killed two rats, (with Richard’s recently acquired rat trap, imported especially from the UK).  We visited the charity Hope for the Village Child and went to visit a community where they are going to start some microfinance work, the meeting was called by banging a “gong” hanging from a tree.
Kaduna market was amazing, especially the engineering part. We walked along narrow paths surrounded by welding, aluminium smelting, hammering and so on, and definitely felt the need for a hard hat, safety glasses and a pair of steel toe cap boots

Kaduna pics