In this report, OGBEMUDIA EDDY UWOGHIREN write on the epileptic state of electricity supply in Ekosodin, an off campus location around the University of Benin (UNIBEN).
The time was 10:15am when this reporter walked into the cybercafé complex with his younger brother to print out some documents. There was an array of stores in the compound. The boys at the shopping mall all scrambled towards every customer trying to convince them for patronage.
After much persuasion, this reporter finally decided to accompany one of the boys to his shop. Upon entering the shop, he noticed the owner, a middle aged man seated at another corner going through a newspaper. When he saw the customer approaching, he immediately stood up, dropping the newspaper on the desk and said “Bros, abeg, sitdown here make I go put on my generator”. (Please sir, sit here, let me quickly put on the generator).
Annoyed by the behavior of the shop owner this reporter responded in his own language “oga which kind nonsense be this, you think say I get time to waste, if you know say you no ready for work, you for allow me go another store na, “(what sort of nonsense is this you think I have time to waste. If you know, you aren’t ready for work, then allow me go to another shop)”.
Several minutes later, power was restored through the small generator by the side of the door post. Immediately, they got to work. The owner of the café whose name was later given as Osas said “you are the first customer I am attending to since morning. I opened my shop as early as 8am but no one has come because there is no electricity supply in the area. And when we charge customers based on the cost for using generator, they refuse to pay”.
Continuing, Osas said “since the past 2 weeks, there has not been power supply in this area. They restored it yesterday afternoon and it didn’t last more than 2 hours and since then, they have not given us power.”
Welcome to Ekosodin, an off campus location around the University of Benin. Its proximity to the institution has made it a first point of choice for students seeking off camps accommodation.
Though located close to a University, the area seems to be marginalized when compared to other off campus location around institutions in Nigeria. For example, Akoka, an off campus location close to the University of Lagos seems far developed as compared with Ekosodin. Among the problems the inhabitants have to battle with include poor road, lack of water supply, electricity and insecurity. Random responses by the inhabitants have created a link between the poor power supply and the insecurity in the area. When nightfall the area becomes a dead, dark and devilish zone.
The inhabitants of the community spend most of the time in darkness; electricity supply to the area is grossly erratic. For example there is power supply for only 4 hours in a week.To the students, living in Ekosodin can be likened to living in hell.
Joy Omoregbe is a 400level student of Agricultural Extension and Economics who has spent 3 years in Ekosodin. She told this reporter that one her worse choices was to leave the school hostel for Ekosodin. “I have made several wrong choices before but this staying in Ekosodin choice is one of the worse. I don’t think the area in on the National grid for power supply”.
According to her, she moved over to Ekosodin having being dissatisfied by the unhygienic state of the University hostel as well as her crave for privacy. “I am already used to it. We don’t get light in Ekosodin. In fact when the light, comes up, it doesn’t even last more than 3 hours. Our phone batteries are always dead except we charge in class.” Asked why she has not left, she revealed that her crave for privacy has made her remain there.
Talking about one problem leading to another
On how she manages to read and study for exams, Joy said “Although my reading habit dropped and it affected my grades. But I do go to the University campus to read at Night and some other times stay in our rooms and use torch light & lamps. Going to the University campus has not been an easy task for students as they some get robbed and raped on their way”.
Ese Abiodun from the Faculty of Engineering is one of the many students that have been robbed. Narrating his ordeal to the reporter, he said he left his off campus location around 7:15pm with the hope of getting to the University to read and charge his gadgets.
While navigating a narrow path, he was accustomed by two boys who according to him would be in their late twenties. “I was so scared but I just couldn’t do anything because I was scared and the place was dark. They took away my laptop containing important files, handset and an about three thousand Naira which I had planned to give my girlfriend campus that night”. In fact, it is an experience I don’t like sharing.”
The perennial power failure in Ekosodin is telling bad on the economy of the area. For an area housing over 40% of the off campus students of the University of Benin; students are beginning to relocate to better and safer zones like Isihor, Uwasota and Iduowina which are all within relative proximity to the UNIBEN campus. And even if these areas are not so close to the University as Ekosodin yet “safety first” as stated by Imisiola Daniel final year Economics and statistics.
Mr. Aibangbe Eric is also an inhabitant of the community. He is in his late 60 and a retired civil servant. His house is a bungalow with 10 rooms of which he occupies four alongside his wife and two children (who are both graduates but unemployed), leaving the remaining 6 rooms to be on lease to students needing off campus accommodation.
Outside of the house is an array of 6 stores of with four being occupied. “You see, for those two stores, people have refused to occupy them because there is never light in this area. The man that runs a barbing shop, before had to stop the business because of the electricity situation. He had customers who complained that it was too expensive far them to cut their hair with generator. Ever since he left four months ago, no one has occupied the shop. Businesses are shutting down on a daily basis. “All efforts by the community to get the government to prevail on the situation has proved abortive.
The precarious electricity supply in the area has also hindered Night life. Investigation reveal that the inhabitants retire to their rooms as early as 8pm because of fear. Unlike other off campus like BDPA and Osasogie where there is still hustling and bustling till 10pm and sometimes 12 midnight, things are different at Ekosodin as people retire to their rooms as early as possible to avoid giving hoodlums opportunity to carry out their nefarious activities.
Power supply and unemployment
Mr. Aibangbe also revealed that the poor electricity supply in the area has rendered many youths unemployed; “If only there is light, most of the youths roaming the street would have been employed. The government has refused to gainfully employ them. Those that have resorted to self-employment by opening shops like cyber caféand barbing are not finding it easy as they spend money buying fuel to power their generators”.
It was also discovered that most students have their private generators. At 2nd Twins hostel, which has over 30 students, our reporter counted over 20 generating set. He learnt that at night, students put on the generating set releasing fumes to pollute the air and making the area noisy. “At night, everywhere is noisy. You hear generator sounds everywhere and fumes are being released which makes the area polluted thereby contributing to global warming”, Mr. Aibangbe added.
Osamudiamen who runs a barbing shop along Edo Street finally spoke to our reporter after much persuasion. Osamudiamen is a graduate of civil engineering from the federal polytechnic, Auchi, Edo State. Four year after graduation, He is still very much unemployed.
Hear him “when I graduated. I spent 6months looking for job which never came. So I decided to go for skill acquisition training that was organized by an NGO. I was trained in barbing and thereafter decided to open my shop. Business has not been so good my job relies on electricity supply. Most times I have to power generator when clients come”.
If the electricity supply improves, Osamudiamen said, it would help reduce unemployment and violence in the area.
“Most of the people in this area need employment”. Assuming, there is stable light supply, they could start up businesses and do away with crime. When people hear about Ekosodin, all that comes to mind is crime. They believe the inhabitants are good at crime.” He said.
Barely had he completed the statement when a client walked in. He left this reporter, went to put on the generating set. That was how the interview ended abruptly.
A different tale
It is however different tales. While the inhabitants are complaining about the power situation, generator repairers and sellers are smiling to the bank.
Also commenting, Mr. Francis a popular generator repairer stated that the poor power supply has given him a way to feed his family. He said “One man’s food is another man’s poison”. He however stated that he often give some very cheap service because most of his customers are students.
Worried by the power situation in the area, the executives of the National Association of Edo State Students (NAESS) UNIBEN chapter paid a fact finding mission to the headquarters of the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC). They were receive by the BEDC boss Victor Gbolade. They laid their complains to the BEDC management who stressed that the situation was under control as they were doing their best to find lasting solutions to the problem. The promise was more like a cliché. No one trust promises from the government anymore. Speaking on anonymity, one of the student who responded to the comment of Mr. Josiah stated that “the light condition has been like this for months, what has he been doing all this while?” He opined that students in the area need to mobilize themselves to either go there to beat up all the staff they find on duty on then will they act promptly.
However, the students decided to wait out on the promise of Mr. Victor. But will the BEDC Boss match his words with action or was it just another wishful twist of the tongue? Time will tell. But one thing is sure the students may soon run out of patient.
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