Nigerians increase demand for solar power, generator sellers and repairers lament low business
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Demand for gasoline generators has declined as Nigerians opt for solar power to avoid paying through the nose for petrol which price has shot up, with fears it may rise without end in the new deregulated era.
Generator dealers across Lagos markets cite a significant drop in sales, as most could not sell more than half their usual stock over the past month, according to a survey by Nairametrics.
Paul Dike, a dealer at Alaba International Market, said the spike in fuel prices has directly affected sales and he and his colleagues are pooling resources to generate electricity from big diesel generators to cut costs.
Most generators imported by Alaba merchants are now shipped to Northern Nigeria and neighbouring countries, he disclosed.
Samuel Chikeleze, a major importer of generators at the Lagos Trade Fair, lamented his sales have dwindled sharply.
In the past, he said, two or three containers of imported generator sets were sold within a month, but he now struggles to sell one container in a month.
“People are just not coming to buy as they did any longer. Lagos buyers just seem to be on vacation. Most of our sales now are either toward the Northern part of the country or in neighbouring countries,” Chikeleze added.
“The high price of fuel is really taking a toll on us generator sellers.”
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High cost of fuel stokes decrease in generator usage
Gozie Nwachukwu, a dealer in the Ogba area, echoed similar views, saying people are no longer enthusiastic about buying petrol generators, per Nairametrics.
He moaned that a business which thrived in the past has hugely declined in recent weeks due to the high cost of fuel, as many citizens can no longer afford to buy petrol, leading to a decrease in the usage of generators.
“I cannot buy N2,500 fuel that will last just four hours. How many times in a month will I do that when I need money to feed my family? Let the generator rest for now,” said George Orsu, a resident of Surulere.”
Moses Egwu, who lives in Alimosho Council, reiterated the cost of living has risen so high that running a generator is the last thing on his mind.
“I will make sure that my rechargeable lights are always charged, nothing more, nothing less,” Egwu declared.
He disclosed his wife no longer cooks food that lasts for days in the refrigerator because he can no longer afford the cost of fueling his generator.
Generator repairers lament low patronage
Fuel station operators report a decline in the number of customers who fill their cars with petrol or buy it in jerry cans.
Repairers also cite reduction in the number of generators brought up for fixing.
Sodiq, a generator repairer around Adeoni Estate in the Berger axis, said customers hardly patronise him nowadays and he has veered into repairing tricycles to make ends meet.
Chinagorom Okoye, a generator repairer in the Igando area, said business has been bad over the past several weeks after the increase in the price of fuel, and he hardly makes enough money to feed his family.
“Before now, I would go home with up to N10,000 after the day’s work; but now I hardly take more than N2,000 home,” he disclosed.
Brian Amonu, Data Analytics and Solutions Managing Director, estimated 40 per cent of the 50 million homes in Nigeria rely partly on generator sets for power.
With an estimated 20 million generators needing repairs from time to time, a substantial reduction in their usage could jeopardise the livelihoods of repairers.