Lydia Michael, a first-year student of English Studies at Adekunle Ajasin University Akungba Akoko, woke up brimming with excitement as the long-awaited day of her matriculation finally arrived. Despite her hopes for electricity to press her matriculation gown being in vain, she made do with a tattered-looking garnment.
Determined to make the most of her special day, Lydia embraced the imperfections, having no option than to use the tattered and rumpled-looking garment.
“I was extremely sad because I had no choice but to wear my garment like that. This reminds me of the previous week that I was unable to do my assignment due to an electricity issue and those that do the generator around my villa had traveled” she lamented.
Epileptic Power Supply in Akungba Akoko
Akungba Akoko in Akoko south east has been experiencing a geometric and critical setback in electricity for the past few years.
Its pathetic and doleful situation has been an issue of concern for the students and the residents at large.
Earlier this year, the residents took to the streets of Akungba to protest against the epileptic power supply, moving from the Police Station to BEDC office but nothing has been done.
Also, Akungba Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) through its senior commercial officer and service provider, Adesola Samuel in a report has noted that Electricity is distributed based on the Megawatts collected.
He said, “Ordinarily, we are supposed to be having 12 Megawatts from the direct feeders, but it has dropped between 5 & 4 Megawatts and the more the Megawatts, the more stable the electricity would be, and vice versa.”
“The student population has nothing to do with the Megawatts. In our context, energy is what we produce and we are not the producer of the energy. We buy energy from generation through transmission and we sell to our customers. Once the production drops, we won’t be able to get our 12 Megawatts and that’s when population comes into play.”
Epileptic Power Supply Affects our Academics- Fresh Students
As Adekunle Ajasin University Akungba Akoko matriculated students of over 6,957 on the 16th of june, the fresh students have beseached the management to find something to do to address the issue of epileptic power supply in the university Community.
A student of Chemical Science who noted that epileptic power supply has been an albatross to her learning as it hinders her from making research, applauded the Student Union President for his efforts so far noted that the effort has been fruitless and also urged the management to find a lasting solutions by collaborating with the BEDC to make electricity available for the students.
“We want the management to help us find something to do by collaborating and negotiating the the officials of BEDC, Akungba”
Also, Doyinsola, a student of the computer science department who complained about lecturers forcing the new students to give them money, pleaded with the management to regulate the activities of lecturers in school.
“It’s not proper for the lecturer to force students to go give them sometimes just because we are freshers. When I was doing my chemistry practical, this man came to me to buy pure water for him, and I later borrowed money from someone” he said
Doyinsola also pleaded the Akungba BEDC officials to make the electricity stable and not epileptic like it use to be.
Olabode Precious Abigael, a student of History and International Studies also urged the management to find a lasting solution to the menace.
“I must confess that the state of electricity in and around the school is totally epileptic and it should be addressed with immediate effect because this is one major problem among others for students in AAUA”
She also noted that the management should work towards the reduction of transportation fee.
“I think the management should help reduce the cost of transportation in and outside the school and there should be more security measures as these things are pertinent to the comfortability of students on campus”
Moreso, Ogunbiyi Deborah Opeyemi of Human Kinetics who lamented the haphazard fixing of classes of some lecturers, beseeched the school management to help regulate the activities of the lecturers.
Deborah also lamented the epileptic power supply in the institution community.
She said, “Akungba is a student area, students come from different parts of the country to stay here and I am sure that they have electric light very well just like the place I am from. I believe the school is a state owned university, so the services of the school shouldn’t be limited only to the school but also extended to its environs.
“We only experience a 2-hour power supply (morning and night, I think) in the school, outside the school, it’s a different case. We can have power supply once in a month which is very bad”.
“I know the government can do something to correct that if they really want to. Examination is fast approaching and the serious students will want to read in the middle of the night. Not having light is a big discouragement and major turn off but what can we do?
We just have to sort for other means, who wants to fail” she said
