Iroko Tree

Iroko Tree

In the deep dark forest

Where only the valiant

Of hunters dare thread

There you will find

An undisputed king-

The Great Iroko Tree

A tree so tall

As to touch the sky

A tree so thick

As to take an acre

A tree so fearsome

No animal dares climb it

I met one once

In my excursion

Inside the grove of Oshogbo

And stood in awe of it

Paying obeisance due to a king

Silent and resilient

Through a thousand years

(c) Wale Owoeye Esq.  

PS: Do you know trees are the real protectors of our planet from green house gases. 

Yes, they are. So let us protect them from extinction.

Plant a tree today. 

SMART CITIES IN AFRICA

Have you ever been to Las Vegas or ever had the sweet grace to see Paris at night? If you have then you will be able to visualise the picture I intend to paint. These are cities rightly called City of Light for their luminescence at night; a modern metropolis where life begins at 7pm, the whole city lighted up and alive. In Nigeria, the F.C.T and some parts of Lagos also have this magical panorama, the latter powered by newly installed IPP. While the work continues, I am anxious to see Las Vegas replicated in Lagos: when the dream of Lagos being a smart city finally evolves.

Mind you, the smartness of Lagos in this sense will not be measured by how much streetlights are on the roads or how many skyscrapers are lighted up by generators. Believe me, Gidi's smartness as a modern city will not be assessed by the numbers of schools or primary health centers powered by solar energy or how much water is available for her citizens to use. To me as an environmentalist, the smartness of Lagos State will be measured by her power of energy management because energy is scarce and should be smartly managed.

In this direction, Lagos must enhance her smartness with technology. Yes, technology in energy will ease the burden of management for those saddled with the responsibility and also make the eco system better. Through system upgrade, remote monitoring and control of power systems that regulates the streetlights and the solar energy systems, using Efergy smart meters and devices, Lagos State can be a step ahead of other governments in Africa and become a 21st Century Smart City. It is in the spirit of negawatt revolution: energy management and innovation and I am all for it. 

You too can automate your home appliances with Efergy ego wifi socket and monitor/ control your energy needs with smart technology. These deluxe products are available on Konga.com for you to buy. Imagine being able to switch on/off your bedroom AC before you get home via your smart phone. That's the power of technology I am talking about. That's being smart.

Wale Owoeye Esq.
www.zeusenergylimited.com 

  

CONSTANT ELECTRICITY IN AFRICA

The title of my post will sure interest a lot of readers from Africa, especially Nigeria where I live and where we pray for the miracle of constant electricity. This miracle, daily importuned from Zeus, god of lightning and sky (at least to the Greek) , is nothing short of a mirage for Africans who, asides from material poverty suffers greatly from energy poverty. If you live in Lagos, Kaduna, Port Harcourt, and perhaps Kumasi, Soweto, then you will understand what it is to be deprived of electricity. Our brothers and sisters in Europe, Asia and America may not really understand.
From lighting your room, to watching your favorite TV show, to charging your phone to browse on the internet, to navigating a well lighted road at night, the need for electricity in Nigeria and Africa gets critical by the day. It is hard, very hard to still live in "darkness" in today's age when electricity can be generated from several sources. I cringe inside to still hear children scream "UP NEPA" in the hoods of Lagos whenever power is returned from its holders. It is sad, very sad that we still ration electricity in Nigeria in the 21st Century, when school children in China can generate electricity from the simplest elements. You just need not imagine how much Nigerians spend on fuel for generators. It is sheer wickedness on the poor people of the country.

What is the way forward? Can the new government deliver on its promises to power Nigeria and make her industrialize as all of us hope? Will President Elect General Muhammad Buhari take Nigeria further in the drive to become a power sufficient nation by year 2020? Like the great Bob Marley once sang: Time Will Tell.
In our drive to modernize Africa and alleviate energy poverty keenly felt in the ghettos, Zeus Energy Limited is working on innovative solutions to power SME's in the low scale areas of Nigeria. We are presently conducting energy audits and analysis of selected SME outlets, to know their total energy requirement in order to build bespoke energy units for them. This we intend to do in partnership with stakeholders in the energy industry and other development partners willing to work with Nigeria in achieving sustainable power. I will update you on the progress we are making on this project. 
Constant electricity can be a reality in Africa. We need to believe it first.
See you soon.

Wale Owoeye Esq.
www.zeusenergylimited.com 

LIGHT UP AFRICA!!!

VISION 20-20-20 in Nigeria, first trumpeted by late President Musa Yaradua, encapsulated the plan of 'Giant of Africa" towards attaining industrialized status by year 2020. Today, it remains but five years to Year 2020 yet the dream now seems like what it has been from day one-a dream without substance or a shred of realism.

What can our leaders do to bring Nigeria among this comity of elite nations, you'd ask me, short of going cap in hand to our Western allies to beg for assistance? The first and most overriding issue at stake is for the Nigerian government to fix her power sector, for without constant and sustainable electricity, then we should forget about becoming industrialized. 

For those who knows, this is an ambitious project for a country presently running on less than 4000Mw; a country with explosive population and a nation touted to be the largest economy in Africa. True, the incumbent (outgoing) government has made commendable strides in this drive to reform the power sector and I can only hope the newly elected government will carry on from where they left the job and push it to completion. I am really counting on General Buhari on this. He made lofty promises in his manifesto. Please do not let us down.

Ask the power engineers and they will tell you there are ways to light up Nigeria and Africa that will not require building power plants. By adopting green attitude of energy conservation and management, then Nigeria can power her country with vast energy stored in the cloud- Yes, the Virtual Power Plant can light up Nigeria and Africa in general. 

Replace every incandescent bulbs with energy saving bulb and together we can make Africa light up like Xmas Tree-that is the winning attitude of energy management. Perhaps if we can replace a million of these 60 watts bulbs within the next five years, then we can achieve VISION 20-20-20.

On that note, here is to wish the President-Elect, General Muhammad Buhari and his transition team a successful tenure where Nigerians will celebrate no more black out. I say Amen to that!!

Wale Owoeye Esq.
www.zeusenergylimited.com