Children’s Day: Give us electricity, kids tell Jonathan

-Iroko Ayomide, 13, S.S.1, Queensway College, Ilupeju

I can’t find words to describe the Power Holding Company of Nigeria. I’m just so disappointed with them. I wonder what service they are rendering. In my area (Palmgrove, Lagos), we hardly have electricity. If I get the opportunity to go to their office, I will go straight to their manager’s office. I will kindly ask him to explain why we hardly have electricity. It’s really affecting us (children). You find babies with serious skin rashes because of heat. I can never forget what happened to my sister last year. There was no electricity that day and the kerosene in the lantern we were using to read had almost finished. She decided to add more kerosene and by mistake the kerosene poured on her body. Beside the lantern, there was a candle. Her skirt got burnt; the fire also burnt her laps. That day was a very sad day.

President Goodluck Jonathan should please help out and make electricity stable. If he needs to increase salaries of PHCN officials, let him do so. However, I feel there are people within PHCN stealing our money.

-Praise Peter, 11, J.SS.1, African Nursery and Primary School, Abule Oja

PHNC is terrible. They don’t provide us with electricity. In a day, we can hardly have electricity for an hour. It is very bad. I feel President Goodluck Jonathan should change the people working there and get a new set of employees. I’m not happy with them. When there is no electricity, I can’t read my books. During my last term examinations, I had to read with candle. I was straining my eyes. It is not fair. They keep collecting money from us, but are not providing us with electricity.

-Awofeso Bolanle, 11, Moremi Nursery and Primary School, Oworo

I feel President Goodluck Jonathan should get more transformers for each community. He should sit down with the state governors and discuss how much each state would need to get more transformers. Electricity in Nigeria is bad. If you go abroad, other countries have stable electricity. Why is Nigeria different? We rarely have electricity supply. This instability in electricity really affected my examination scores last term.  During lessons, the classrooms are so hot, I cannot concentrate. And when I even get home, there will be no electricity to read my books.

-Chisom Onyeaka, 11, Federal College of Education, Technical Staff School, Bariga

PHCN people are bad. Very bad people. They made me have craw craw (skin rashes). If there is electricity, there would not be heat and if there is no heat, children would not be battling with skin rashes. Meanwhile, if you go to the house of these PHCN staff, they have stable electricity. Even President Jonathan enjoys stable electricity, yet we citizens are the ones suffering. For four weeks now, we have not had electricity. I feel something needs to be done. We can’t continue like this. President  Jonathan is the only one that can fix this problem, so he should do it.

-Zainab Balogun, 12, J.S.S.1, Edijey Comprehensive High School, Ketu

I can even count the number of times we’ve had electricity this week. I’m so used to staying without electricity. Since I was small, it has been like that. Can PHCN ever change? The one thing that upsets me is the heat. I recently had chicken pox. I know that if electricity is stable, I would not have had chicken pox.

I feel it’s the type of people we have in the power sector that is causing instability in electricity. If we had the right set of leaders, this problem would have been dealt with long time ago. We have leaders that are corrupt. They only care about their family. I wonder who would fix the problem in the electricity sector. It’s only God that can help us.

-Grace Idowu, 12, J.S.S.1, Lesrond High School, Gbagada

PHCN used to be wonderful, but now, I don’t like them. Power supply is off and on. When we have electricity; the voltage may be low. It’s like Nigeria is living in darkness. I wonder why a country like ours should be struggling with electricity; yet we have money and resources. The way forward is to give PHCN out. President Goodluck Jonathan should go abroad and get people who are capable of handling PHCN.

Without electricity, we can’t read our books properly. And when we don’t read, we will not do well in our examinations.

-Seun Olawale, 10, Oluwole Nursery and Primary School, Akoka

I can’t wait to finish my education and leave this country. Things are just not working. The roads are bad, electricity is instable. When will things get better? Who can we rely on? I know my parents pay their electricity bills because at the end of the month, PHCN men always come to our house. They don’t forget their money; yet we hardly get electricity. We are paying for something we don’t receive.

When I’m older, I’ll make sure I help my country. I just wish all these rich people would help Nigeria. President Goodluck Jonathan should even help us. He has the power to change things. He should find out what is causing instability in our electricity. He is our President.

-Kemi Solarin, 11, African Nursery and Primary School, Abule Oja

I think the problem with the PHCN is that it needs more money. President Goodluck Jonathan should invest more money in the PHCN. Also, he should increase the salary of PHCN workers. I feel when these are done, there will be stable electricity and we will be able to read our books well.

CULLED FROM PUNCH NEWSPAPER