The National Association of University Students (NAUS) has appealed to Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Power to urgently resolve persistent electricity shortages on university campuses and in student‑populated neighbourhoods, warning that the problem is undermining academic work, student‑run businesses and personal security. The call was made in a statement released to journalists in Abuja on Saturday by NAUS National President Comrade Dr Meshach Anthony Nwankwo.
NAUS, which represents more than 21.2 million undergraduate and postgraduate students in Nigeria and the diaspora, said unreliable power is making it increasingly difficult for students to study, conduct research, attend virtual lectures and meet academic deadlines.
“For the average Nigerian university student, electricity goes beyond having light in a room. It determines whether they can charge their phones and laptops, access lecture materials, conduct research, complete assignments, attend virtual classes and prepare adequately for examinations,” Nwankwo said.
The president urged Minister of Power Chief Joseph Olasunkanmi Tegbe to prioritise a sustainable electricity supply to university communities, stressing that President Bola Tinubu’s efforts to expand access to education and Minister of Education Dr Maruf Olatunji Alausa’s policies will have limited impact without reliable power. He warned that students are sometimes forced to leave their residences to find charging points, exposing them—particularly female students—to avoidable security risks, and noted that lecturers also suffer, hampering lecture preparation and research.
NAUS said it is ready to collaborate with the ministry by providing first‑hand, location‑specific information from its campus representatives to identify areas with chronic outages. The association pledged to engage the minister on a practical framework for pinpointing affected communities, highlighting operational bottlenecks and supporting targeted interventions, while continuing to advocate for an academic environment where basic amenities do not hinder students’ ambitions.
<small>Source: Vanguard News — read the original story there.</small>
