In a bold and humorous move, a Nigerian man has taken to social media to announce his application to Guinness World Records, requesting that Nigeria be officially recognized for experiencing the “most national grid collapses in a single year.”
This unconventional application comes as the country grapples with frequent power grid failures, an issue that has long plagued Nigeria’s energy sector.
Posting on X (formerly Twitter), the applicant, known by his handle “General Snow,” shared a screenshot of his letter addressed to Guinness World Records, where he cheekily outlined his case for Nigeria’s entry into the record books. In the letter, he emphasized the country’s notable achievement, stating, “As of this year, Nigeria’s national grid has experienced an unprecedented 11 collapses, with a strong possibility of reaching a dozen within the next two days.”
He continued, noting the unusual frequency of the failures, “This frequency… an approximate 90% chance of collapse every two days… establishes a unique global precedent. We believe this remarkable statistic deserves official recognition.”
In his application, he added an interesting detail: Nigeria might also qualify for another record as “the only nation to form a committee on national grid collapse.” Snow humorously pointed out that each grid failure is “officially amazing,” considering the regularity with which the failures are publicly acknowledged by the National Grid’s official account on X.
The message ends with a humorous twist, as Snow requests the exclusive honor of representing Nigeria in receiving this record, should it be awarded, saying, “This honor can remain with me until another Nigerian applies in the future, as the grid’s instability is almost a sure bet.”
https://x.com/GeneralSnow_/status/1854503874716934591?t=wAEhcyPRXGZqF50bNg5fxQ&s=19
The post quickly went viral, with social media users flocking to the comments to share their reactions. Some found the application hilarious, seeing it as a creative way to call attention to the longstanding power issues, while others expressed frustration over the ongoing failures and government inaction. Many applauded Snow’s satirical take, with one commenter quipping, “At this rate, Nigeria is pioneering the power-off culture.”
See some reactions below:
@RamotuOlaniyi: “Your president never told you he would give you electricity. Somebody went to Kano and said he wanted to dance and you’re expecting much from him.”
@JpChidiOkoye1: “The current minister of power in Nigeria is useless man. Zero brain.”
@pointzero_088: “As much as I do t line the power outages and strongly believe a lot more can be done to remedy the situation, it is extremely disrespectful to Nigeria to do this. We have to stop this kind of stunt, please.”
@onlyonejega: “As a Nigerian that have lived for more than 25 years, I’m in full support of mr @generalshow_ As a matter of fact to back up is claim i can say I’ve never experienced a month straight full electricity supply. Many more to say but we really deserve this award.”
This lighthearted appeal to Guinness World Records has turned into a powerful commentary, highlighting the everyday challenges Nigerians face with unreliable electricity.
