By Abdulrasaq Nafisat Taiye
On that fateful day, 27th December, 2024, everywhere on campus was aglow with light, but the Faculty of Social Sciences was eerily dark. It was later discovered that thieves had seized the opportunity to cut the cable that supplied power from the transformer, plunging the faculty into darkness.
However, the power outage has severely hindered work and has also become a major reason why some lecturers are unable to attend school, further disrupting academic activities.
Dr. MB Muhammad, a Lecturer from the Faculty of Social Science explained how the outage affected the lecturers in the Faculty hindering their ability to carry out any work. Notably, the affected cable was connected to the solar power system.
“We rely on that cable for power, and apart from that, even the solar would not be able to work without the cable. So, it affects the whole faculty, and the whole activities of the faculty is almost grounded because we can’t work without light.”
Dr. Muhammad further emphasized the crucial role of electricity highlighting how its absence has resulted in low lecturer turnout, despite ongoing registration. Moreover, Many lecturers are reluctant to come to campus due to insecurity concerns in the dark.
“Despite the students just coming back for registration, the light is very important. Generally, it has led to low turnout. As I am talking to you, hardly any lecturer can go to the campus because there is no light in the faculty. And the issue of insecurity has become really alarming.”
Dr Muhammad explained the need for security personnel to account for missing cable, as they are responsible for safeguarding school properties. He also stressed that a thorough investigation must be conducted, given the significant cost of the cable and the financial burden it would impose on the faculty to replace it.
“There is a need for those in charge, the chief security must rise up to his call and make sure that those that are put to guard the properties of the university are doing their work and there should be investigations, maybe those security do not perform their work and they should be punished.”
Also,“ if they can get back the cable, because the cable is expensive, it will be a call to the management to see and do the necessary. If not, it will be difficult for staff. You can imagine the number of staff in the whole faculty not being able to work as they desire to,” he asserted.
Faculty President Reacts
Turawa Kamaldeen Olaitan, the President of the Faculty of Social Sciences, Udus expressed how the outage will affect the academic activities in the faculty.
“I was shocked and disappointed when I heard the news that cables supplying power to our faculty had been vandalized. Knowing fully well that this will hinder our academic activities in the faculty.”
He said, “ vandalism of electricity cables will significantly hinder students’ academic activities. Disruption of lectures and classes: Without electricity, Students won’t have access to essential teaching tools like projectors, computers, and lighting. This might disrupt the lecture schedules. And also, students who do come for night reading might find it difficult to study in the faculty,” he disclosed.
Also, The lack of electricity will also raise safety concerns, particularly in areas with limited natural lighting. Bulbs won’t be powered at night so we can’t guarantee our safety.
Turawa’s plea to the school management to restore power before students resume fully is a timely and urgent request. With the start of a new term, it’s essential that all facilities, including electricity, are in good working condition to ensure a smooth and productive learning environment.
“We will plead with the faculty administration and the school management to ensure that electricity is restored as soon as possible and also provide temporary power solutions.”
While speaking with the Chief Security Officer (CSO), Colonel Abdullahi Gwandu requested our reporter to send him the evidence picture of the area for verification.
A week later when we visited the faculty, we found that everything had been restored.
This story is Supported by the National Association of Campus Journalists (NACJ-UDUS).