As funny as it may sound, I grew up to learn how to shout “Up NEPA” anytime power is restored thinking that is the proper way it ought to be. Unfortunately, after three decades of existence, the shout “Up NEPA!” still carries the same electric excitement it has for decades. When the lights suddenly come on after hours or days of darkness, neighbors cheer, fans spin to life, and phones begin charging. For a brief moment, normalcy returns. But that joy is almost always short-lived. Nigeria has failed its people when it comes to delivering constant, reliable electricity. The national grid, managed by what we still affectionately and frustratingly call NEPA, remains notoriously unreliable. With an installed capacity of over 13,000 megawatts, the country often generates and distributes only around 4,000 MW on a good day. Power plants go offline due to gas shortages, transmission lines fail, and whole neighbourhoods plunged into darkness without warning.

Trust my people Nigerians, they must look for alternative and the alternative is to adapt in creative but costly ways. Rooftops across the country now sparkle with solar panels. Inverters and heavy-duty batteries have become household essentials. Diesel and petrol generators rumble in backyards and business premises, burning expensive fuel just to keep the lights on and fridges running. Petrol prices have climbed above N1,000 per litre in recent months, making generator usage even more painful. Yet people keep investing because depending solely on the grid feels like a risky gamble. Solar adoption is accelerating not mainly because of tariffs, but because the grid’s unpredictability has become unbearable. Families save for panels and batteries, small businesses switch to hybrid systems, and even some government buildings are turning to solar to escape the chaos. Still, these alternatives are not perfect. They represent our collective resilience, but they also highlight a deeper longing: the human desire for something steady and dependable in the face of constant disappointment.

As we celebrate Easter this season, with Good Friday behind us and Resurrection Sunday today, that familiar cry of “Up NEPA!” takes on a richer, spiritual meaning. Just as we anxiously anticipate the return of electricity, planning our day around those precious hours of power, we are invited to anticipate Jesus Christ with the same eager expectation. He is the constant and regular Light that will never fail. On that first Easter morning, the stone was rolled away, the tomb was empty, and death was defeated. Jesus rose, bringing light into the deepest darkness humanity has ever known. In a country where literal power outages shape daily life, His resurrection speaks directly to our hearts: there is a Light we can truly count on.

We wait for NEPA light with hope mixed with skepticism. Will it stay on long enough to finish cooking? Will the fan keep running through the night? Will the children be able to study without straining their eyes using candlelight? That same posture of anticipation is what Easter calls us to have toward Jesus. He does not come and go like the national grid. He declared, “I am the Light of the World. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” In the heat of Nigerian afternoons, when blackouts stretch on and generators cough for lack of fuel, this promise feels profoundly comforting. Jesus meets us in our exhaustion, our frustrations, and our everyday struggles. He understands the very human need for reliability, whether it be light for our homes or light for our souls.

The Easter story is deeply human. It reminds us that we all crave stability in an unstable world. We have all experienced the disappointment of a system that fails us: the sudden darkness that halts work, the extra expenses that strain already tight budgets, the quiet worry when another night falls without power. These shared experiences bind us together as Nigerians. Yet the resurrection offers something beyond temporary fixes. It points to a relationship with the risen Christ, whose light shines steadily through economic hardship, insecurity, and personal pain. No matter how many times the grid collapses and it has done so repeatedly in recent years, His presence does not waver. He is not affected by gas supply issues, transmission faults, or policy changes. He simply is. Remember, Up NEPA may bring temporary relief, but UP JESUS brings eternal light. The darkness has not overcome it, and it never will.