The weather is so hot....arrgh! Last night I couldn’t sleep well because of the stultifying heat. I was restless and uncomfortable, tossing from end to end on the bed. To make things worse, there was no power supply. We have not had power supply in my area for the past three days. When I switched off the generator by 12:15 am, the heat embraced me like a long lost prodigal son.
And we are in the month of February and it is expected that at this time, we should have had the first rain of the year that ushers in the rainy season. But so far in my part of the country, rain has refused to fall.
Before weekend, I am going to be a rainmaker! I am going to bring down the rain to cool the atmosphere, to bring relief and take away the oppressive heat. I would be playing two music tracks at full volume all through the week.
The first track would be, “let it rain”, a gospel song by Michael smith.
The second track will be “send down the rain” by Majek Fashek.
However, in case, the rain doesn’t fall this week despite these two songs, we will have to manage the heat. So how do we cope with this heat wave?
Let’s look at some few tips of coping with the heat

1. Wear light weight fabrics. Don’t wear clothes that are heavy and thick. Wear cotton and silky materials that are light and airy. If you can help it, avoid longsleeved shirts, ties, stockings and other tight fitting materials. Go for short sleeved shirts instead. If your boss won’t send you away if you turn up at the office in boxers shorts, please wear your boxers shorts to work, market, church etc. Don’t wear black colored materials because by our knowledge of physics, we know that black bodies absorb heat. So rather, wear white coloured materials that reflect the light rays away from the material.

2. Drink lots of water. One thing associated with heat is that it saps moisture from bodies. You become easily dehydrated when exposed to intense heat. So drink water frequently. Take a bottle of cold water alongside with you to any place that you would be staying in for a long time.

3. Have an alternative source of power supply. We live in a country where electric power supply is unstable and unpredictable. Unless you are living in the government house, you should have your generators at standby to power your fans and air conditioners. Don’t forget to buy fuel for your generators. If you can afford a solar system plant or inverter unit, please go for it.

4. Take cold baths often. These days, I bath more than 5 times a day. Take baths frequently to clean off the sweat from your body and cool your system.
5. Sleep naked. The heat is so intense that sleeping in your pyjamas, night gown etc will exacerbate it even if you are sleeping under an Ac. You would wake up in a pool of your sweat in the middle of the night. So sleep in your birthday suit. Your motto should be “Naked i sleep, Naked I awake”.
Please be careful if you are living with other people in the house. Don’t sleep nude in a house where you don’t know or trust anyone to avoid stories that touches the heart.

6. Stay away from hot beverages, hot meals, hot drinks, etc. What you ingest should be cold or at most lukewarm in nature. Don’t eat hot eba and hot egusi soup in the afternoon heat. Have some atom of pity for your internal body organs.

7. Travel to the North Pole and chill with the Eskimos. If you can’t bear the heat any longer nor cope with it, your best bet is to travel to the artic region and bask in the snow with the Eskimos. An igloo will gladly be provided for you.

I have full confidence that there will be rainfall this week. Just type “Send down the rain oh Lord.”