In the aftermath of many catastrophic natural disasters, I’ve had the opportunity to serve as a volunteer caregiver with the American Red Cross. I saw firsthand the complete disintegration of a working society’s refuge and tools of industry into rubble! A mind numbing sea of debris, as far as the eyes can see! In the heady days that followed, I witnessed souls from every corner of the Earth join hands in a bold bid to reclaim the future.
It was in this tumultuous chaos of stench, smoke, death, darkness, and failed infrastructure, that my thoughts returned to the land of my birth. The desire to contribute and join the vanguard of those who would “turn on the light” and let the ingenuity of our People rise to its destined position in the comity of Nations was stirred up. With my diverse background as a Registered Nurse (Nigeria, USA, Canada), Registered Midwife (Nigeria), Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science and Public Administration (USA), and a Doctor of Jurisprudence degree (law degree, USA), I had many options.
I returned to my home in California and made plans to visit Nigeria to ascertain what I could do to contribute. The journey through Europe was not much different from the United States except in relative scale. The basic systems functioned, and the standard of living was comparable. I continued homebound as all the nostalgic feelings of seeing family and friends swelled. Alighting from the plane, I was comforted by the soothing heat, familiar languages, and color of my people. As I approached the customs area, the odor of an unsanitary restroom facility hit my senses. Nonplussed, I completed my immigration requirements and was soon enveloped into the waiting arms of my relatives. The drive from the airport to Surulere in Lagos and Maitama in Abuja imprinted on my mind a vision, an idea, of how I could contribute. Some glaring environmental concerns like the collage of polluting smells, heavy smoke in the air, stagnant waters from clogged drainage close to dwellings, and mountains of garbage were persistent on the drive home.
After a couple weeks of visiting with relatives in others states, I adapted to the nuisance of generator noise, home security measures, and pervasive darkness in the streets, except for traders plying their wares by kerosene lantern or candlelight. My visit soon ended without any firm idea of how to contribute. However, as a health care professional, the environmental condition and its public health implication remained on my mind, and the problem was nation wide.
Upon my return to California, I discussed my visit and experiences at length with my husband who is also a medical professional, and reaffirmed my desire to contribute, especially in the area of environmental care. He shared with me, the news account of a Chinese businesswoman, who helped her country by recycling waste. Needless to say, in the succeeding weeks that followed, my vision of how to contribute zeroed in on cleaning up our neighborhoods but taking it a step further to sort the waste for recyclables, and convert the rest into electricity.
To gain better insight into this global environmental problem and learn about the cutting edge solutions available, I attended research conferences on waste management and renewable energy, and visited municipalities who already employ the technology. The information was eye opening! My initial concern for the capital investment required for the project was eased by a developing and strategic methodology whereby the plant can be scaled up or down, to meet the electricity needs of a pre-determined area and its refuge ancillaries such as businesses, subdivisions, hospitals, restaurants, schools, and the like. Carbon footprint research shows smaller localized plants are more efficient, easier to finance, operate, transmit, and manage. AREP was born!
