Frequent Power Cuts Paralyses Academic Proceedings In The University Of Bamenda

July 14, 2019

By Raymond Dingana.

“Despite the risk we take to study, Eneo officials seem to be bent on making sure we don’t succeed by not providing us with stable electricity”. University of Bamenda students lament.

The student population of Bambili, Tubah sub division of the North West Region of Cameroon has lashed out at Eneo, Cameroon’s lone electricity distributing company for making it hard for them to study without electricity. The students were speaking to DRAY INFO recently in Bambili as they lamented the unstable electricity supply for about 3 months making it hard for them to read, print out soft copies of their notes, run photocopies, and many other electricity related functions within the university community. Some have also been complaining they now have problems with their eyes because ,with the absence of electricity, they are forced to go in for candles, bush lamps, rechargeable lamps and many others which to them have been affecting their eyes negatively.

According to Desmond, a student of the University of Bamenda, the unstable electricity supply is not doing anything good to his education. “Sincerely speaking, the epileptic nature of electricity supply in Bambili is really affecting our education negatively. We were to write some of our crucial courses some days back but we have been without electricity for a long while now, the only time we have to read our books is during the evening periods after lectures, yet there is no electricity, is that ok for students who were to write their exams? NO. Eneo officials know very well that students were to write their exams, but what did they do? It shows that they are bent on seeing that we should not succeed or how? We have sacrifice time given the risky nature of things to study, yet they are not helping us with electricity .My question is, Are they trying to stop us from coming to school or how’’?

On her part, another student, who preferred to go by the name Brandy, says, the unstable electricity supply in Bambili has made it difficult for her to read her notes in soft copy amongst others. "We are unable to study and most at times we have soft copy notes but we cannot read them, even to photocopy our notes is a big problem because of inadequate electricity supply. Infact, we are suffering actually, that’s the word to use.’’

Tchofo on his part laments that; He may be forced to resit some courses because of the poor electricity situation in Bambili. "I am a year three student of the University of Bamenda and resiting a course has never been my thing. From the look of things, I may be forced to do that not because I am dull but because the unstable electricity supply in Bambili says so. I was forced to read using candles and even when I tried doing that, the noise from the generators could not allow me read in peace. If at the end of the day I have no course to resit, then God is wonderful’’. The electricity situation in Bambili is really bad. Electricity which is supposed to be a necessity is now luxury in Bambili which can only be enjoyed by those rich enough to afford alternative sources of Electricity like generators, solar panels and many others’’. He added.

In order not to allow the unstable electricity situation to stand on the way of their education, the student said they have resorted to alternative sources or light though these sources have not only brought a lot of challenges to their health but have also witnessed an increase in their prices. "I have been trying to go by candle, but it has been affecting my eyes, even the rechargeable lamps, how will they be charged and even when there are charged, they are still not good for the eyes especially when one is too closed to his books in a dark room’’ . "I am feeling pains in my eyes, even the noise and the smoke from the generators constitute a health hazard to me. I doubt if I can advice someone to look for admission in the University of Bamenda because someone like me who is out to gain knowledge will not be mad to come to Bambili especially with this unstable nature of electricity because one cannot read in darkness’’. "We are not in the dark ages’’. He ended

This other student by name promise said, shop owners have increased the price of candles and that even the candles are a health risk to his eyes. ‘’We used to buy one candle for 100FCFA but shop owners have increased the price to 150FCFA which cannot even last for a night meaning I have to go for at least two candles just for a night which is so expensive.

All attempt to get to the authorities of Eneo to find out from them what measures they have put in place to ensure that, there is stable electricity within the university community come 2019/2020 academic year were all futile. Officials of the electricity company were not available for comments.