Living in Darkness: In Agbowo, Why Does Darkness Cost So Much?

Oluseun Fatope

What is it like to learn, work, or just live in a community where power is increasingly a luxury and not a right? In Agbowo, a lively student-filled community next to the University of Ibadan, the answer is accompanied by frustration, economic pressure, and a subtle sense of helplessness. For months now, residents—most of whom are students—have been living with unreliable power supply that not only leaves their reading lamps dark but also affects their productivity, businesses, and way of life.For the majority, the unstable supply did not start suddenly. It crept into their lives before it became intolerable.

“I’ve been staying in Agbowo for four years now, and I must say this power anomaly is really not new. It’s been on for a while now,” explained David Olamide Taiwo, a final-year English student. His tone carried the tempest of long-haul survival. “But this time, it feels worse. There would be times when there wouldn’t be power for days. Because of that, I couldn’t take part in my online classes or even do assignments.”

Another resident, Grace Bankole, also a final-year student of English, drew the slump more closely: “Power supply at Agbowo was very erratic in early 2025. Assignments, online courses, and especially night reading have been difficult. Earlier, the power supply was actually consistent, but now it has become sporadic.”

For Tella Yemisi, a 300-level Guidance and Counselling student, the pattern started during exams. “Power supply began to be irregular towards the end of last semester when exams were around, in August. I kept having to enter the school compound to charge my phone in order to get an update on deadlines and reading. I am someone who likes reading where everything is lit, but Agbowo Nepa no gree give us light round the clock.”

In a community that prides itself on its status as the epicenter of student life, the timing of these power outages has been catastrophic.

The Academic Price

Learning, the heartbeat of Agbowo, has arguably suffered most. Students who depend on online study guides and continuous availability of electricity are finding it difficult to adapt.

“The erratic power supply affected me negatively because there were some days that I really needed to study, conduct research, and even on my assignments, but couldn’t,” Taiwo explained.

Ume-Okoye Mike, a 300-level Economics student, described the disturbance with low frustration: “The irregular power supply has greatly affected my concentration and focus, makes me late in submitting assignment deadlines, and reduces my productivity. This started about a few weeks ago.”

To Toriola Adedayo, a 300-level History student, the truth is broader: “It has had quite some strains on the ease of academic activities. It got much worse more than a month ago and makes you delay things you were supposed to do in a shorter amount of time. Everything takes longer than necessary now.”

Even the study rhythm—night reading, once a common practice in Agbowo—has been broken. The majority now rely on lamps, power banks, or school premises.

When Business Suffers Too

Agbowo is not occupied just by students; it’s also a hub for small-scale businesses, freelancing, and online work. In this too, the impact of unstable power is being felt.

“I work as a book club literary critic online and for WSA Magazine, but I struggle to meet deadlines because of the erratic power supply,” groused Taiwo. “I couldn’t work effectively with my online job, and that undermines my credibility.”

Bankole, who is also in online business, mirrored similar concerns: “My business is the one that is most impacted. I now respond to customers’ messages late any time my battery runs low, impacting consistency online.”

Mike, whose job is entirely online, was even more blunt: “It has interfered with my workability in my job. I am in the online business, and that clearly necessitates reliable power supply to remain ideally productive.”

For the majority of Agbowo, power no longer just means light; it means livelihood.

The Cost of Darkness

Aside from disruption, there is also a cost element residents have to suffer. In a country already beset by inflation, the additional expense of fueling generators or charging equipment outdoors has made the load heavier.

“I spend at least ₦500 daily to recharge my devices outside,” Taiwo revealed, explaining how unreliable supply quietly eats into already inadequate student pocket money.

Yemisi broke down the charges: “The way it is today, recharging an android phone in Agbowo is ₦400 and a power bank ₦500, and it might not even be full to capacity in a day.”

Akinsumbo Gbadamosi, a 300-level History student, uncovered his coping strategy: “If I couldn’t come on campus, I would have to pay for charging my phone and power bank in a shop, and that happens almost two days in a week. When there’s light, I charge at my convenience in a shop close to my residence.”

These costs, when calculated over weeks, cut deep into allowances meant for feeding, transportation, or textbooks.

Coping in the Dark

But if there’s one thing Nigerian students know well, it is resilience. Faced with these challenges, Agbowo residents have devised creative survival strategies.

“I had to borrow my friends’ power banks or come to school to charge,” said Adedayo. “And I’ll soon buy one for myself due to necessity.”

Bankole shared her daily routines: “We use rechargeable lamps, power banks, and sometimes fuel my neighbor’s generator. We also charge from school whenever there is power supply.”

Frustration Pleas

If given the chance to speak to the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) face-to-face, residents’ pleas are painfully simple: just give us light.

“They should repair whatever is affecting the power supply,” Taiwo urged. “Enough of living in darkness. There should be light 24/7 because it’s affecting the economy of many.”

Bankole’s feelings were echoed: “If I were to tell something to the IBEDC, I’d say give us stable power supply at Agbowo.”

Mike also placed a priority on urgency: “More stability in the power supply is highly important to my productivity and efficiency in general.”

Beyond Agbowo: A Symptom of a Bigger Illness

Though Agbowo looks like another neighborhood mired in sporadic electricity shortages, the bigger picture is what stares us in the face. The Nigerian electricity sector, plagued for decades by infrastructural degeneration, poor maintenance, and hydroelectric dam seasonal fluctuations, still leaves common citizens at the mercy of unreliable supply.

Agbowo today is a testament to perseverance in the face of imposed darkness. Students pour daily onto campus to recharge batteries or exhaust precious allowances in charging stores.

What does it feel like to live in such a state? For Agbowo’s residents, it is learning to live off borrowed light, waiting one day for the promises of steady electricity to finally move from campaign speech to reality.

Credit: istockphoto