Carbon monoxide (also called carbon(II) oxide) is a colorless, odorless, poisonous gas produced when carbon-containing fuels are burned in the presence of low oxygen. According to experts, it can also form as a result of burning fuels at high temperatures. Much of this gas is being churned into the atmosphere in Nigeria.
When inhaled, carbon monoxide combines with blood hemoglobin, the oxygen-carrying substance in red blood cells, and in doing so, inhibits oxygen uptake by hemoglobin. Since hemoglobin cannot absorb oxygen from the air, cells and tissues die from lack of oxygen.
In Nigeria, fuel combustion in cars was the main source of this nasty gas. This has been surpassed by the numerous generator sets that dot the entire country, both in rural and urban settlements. Although there is no precise figure for the number of generator sets in the country, it is believed that, on average, one in four households in rural areas and one in two in urban centers have a generator. So you can imagine the number of generators in this country of over 140 million people. This is mainly due to inadequate power supply from the nation’s electricity company, Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN).
For a country with a huge population, power generation of less than 3,500 megawatts is horrible. This has led to major load reduction and electricity rationing, resulting in erratic epileptic power supply. Someone once jokingly suggested that the power company should change its name to Power Releasing Company of Nigeria (PRCN). Maybe that will prevent them from retaining power.
To increase, homes and businesses use the generator. For example, it is estimated that more than 20,000 generators come online at the same time in the Utako market located in Abuja. Imagine such a scenario in the many markets and shopping centers of the country. Most of the time, these generators are housed in small rooms with little or no ventilation. By doing so, people ignorantly increase the volume of carbon monoxide in the atmosphere.
There are several cases of deaths that have been linked to carbon monoxide poisoning, especially when people are sleeping in the same room or near the generator set. There is still the issue of noise pollution that has not been accurately estimated or has its effect. Imagine the 20,000 generators in the Utako market running at the same time. You need to shout to be heard. The quality of most of these generator sets is also questionable.
Many environmentalists suggest that the government should ban the importation of generators, but that is the least of the solutions because people still need power to carry on with their activities. Before the government can do that, it must first make sure it generates enough power.
It’s unbelievable that the government talks about ozone depletion and mitigating the impact of climate change but has such a terrible record on power generation and distribution. The government should make frantic efforts to improve power generation, as this will reduce people’s dependency on generators for power supply. It will also put her in the good light in her fight to improve the lot of the environment.