LIGHT OUT AT UNIZIK

The electricity supply at the permanent site of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK) is at best “poor”. The situation has caused untold hardship to residents. Ifite, as it is called, has become synonymous with black outs.  

With the resumption of academic activities this year, students became convinced that the power holdings company of Nigeria (PHCN) had conspired to keep the area in perpetual darkness. In the past, the students Union Government (SUG) met officials of PHCN; this led to an agreement to ration power supply to the area. This was commonly referred to by the students as “one day on, one day off”. But, not long after, all they got on the days they were supposed to have supply were a few hours of electricity.

Today, the situation is worse. It has become common these days to see students early in the morning going from one building to another on search of water. Wells are a regular port of call, while, at desperate times, the Anansea stream which is in the neighborhood serves are the last resort.

Nnenna Ndu, a 200- Level student of economics, had this to say: “I have to do my cooking and washing with this water, dirty as it. Most times, I have to buy bags of sachet water or go down to the Amansea stream. The situation is very painful.”

Another student, Ikechukwu Agbo, lamented: “People have commercialised the ugly situation. They now vend water and a gallon costs as much as #30. In a day, most students use two to three gallon; now check out what that does to our pockets.”  

At sunsets, the gloomy look of the streets paints a vivid picture of the deplorable condition of electricity in the area. Except for places lit by generator sets, nightfall is characterised by darkness candles and rechargeable lanterns are major sources of   illumination. The Garuba square, an open area on campus, daily bears the look of some sort of crusade to study. Lillian Nwosu, a 400-level law student said: “As a student of law, I am expected to always dress corporately. However, owing to the poor condition of electricity, my clothes are always rumpled. Every day, I spend 370 to charge my phone. The previous and present SUG government promised to save us from this misery, but, sadly they have a siddon- look approach.

CAMPUS LIFE spoke to Victor Onuegbu, the SUG president, in a bid to find out the way forward for students. He explained: “After my inauguration, I visited the Business Manager in charge of PHCN, Awka and complained to him about the situation. He listed the causes, chief of which is overload. But, he promised us that they are building a new power distributing centre at Oji River, Enugu State. And once it is completed, it reduces the load around Ifite and environs. Meanwhile we have plans to meet Governor Peter Obi to plead for the state to donate transformers to Ifite. We are confident that he will hearken to our plea;  and this will go a long way in alleviating the current poor situation.”

Uche Anichebe a 400 level Unizik student writes from Awka-Nigeria