Education and energy crisis 

Education is the process of receiving or giving systematic instruction, especially at a school or university.

On the 10th of January, the transformer of Aluu broke down again, contributing to the energy crisis that has disrupted the academic activities and turned the educational pursuit of the students of the Federal University of Port Harcourt into a nightmare.

Students of the prestigious University of Port Harcourt are crying out to the government to intervene as the poor energy Crisis has also forced them to stand in queues in public places to fetch bathing water before going to class every morning.

What is effective learning without the aid of constant water and power supply if not misery? Students lament.

Ikeh Chidera, Public Administration student in Uniport said that this energy crisis started many years ago when he started living in Port Harcourt. The poor power supply has affected everybody including the staff and students living in Aluu.

Aluu is a community situated in Rivers State, Nigeria, near the building city of Port Harcourt. It is primarily a residential area and is known for its proximity to the University of Port Harcourt, making it a popular location for students and University staff.

Impact of Energy Crisis on Student’s Education

Currently, only 45% of Nigeria’s population is connected to the energy grid whilst power supply difficulties are experienced around 85% of the time and almost nonexistent in certain regions.

According to a study published on “IREsearchNG,” titled “Epileptic Power Supply and Its Impact on the Academic Performance of University Students,” poor electricity supply in Nigeria significantly impacts students’ academic achievements, as the unreliable power supply hinders learning activities like research and teaching within educational institutions, leading to reduced productivity and affecting overall academic performance

Ikeri Loveth, a 200-level student from the Department of Linguistics and Communication Studies, expressed her frustration about the poor power supply. “The light is not steady. NEPA PHCN brings the light once in a blue moon coupled with the fact that some compounds don’t have light due to inferior wires.”

According to her, the poor power supply in Aluu, in conjunction with the high inflation rate in Nigeria, has crippled their means of survival. Due to power outages, students no longer read, as many find it convenient to read at night.

Favor George, a 200-level student in Uniport and resident of Aluu, affirmed what Miss Ikeri Loveth said about their light not being steady. According to her, Aluu is overpopulated and is more than the power of the transformer which could be the cause of the power outage.

She added that the poor power supply has forced many to miss lectures and skip important assignments and research as poor power supply has led to dead batteries of students’ phones and gadgets.

Solution

Based on the interviews with Uniport students who are residents of Aluu, there are a few things they think can be done to ease the burden the poor power supply has placed on students.

Governments at Local, State, and Federal levels should look into the wires used in connecting these lights. The unproportional sharing of light proved without a doubt that the wires used for Aluu NEPA are inferior.

The government should use its capacity to provide an extra transformer for Aluu light. The transformer’s constant explosion proves that it is overloaded.

The Federal University of Port Harcourt has constant light and is thanks to the fact that they ON generator when the power supply goes off. Government, NGOs, and individuals should donate big generators to compounds occupied by students. By doing so, the light problem will be half solved.

Also Read: coping with poverty in universities 

About Author

Ifeyinwa Francis

An author and journalist.

See author's posts