Five Months of Darkness: A Call for Calmness, Strategic Action, and Accountability at FUKashere –By Muhammad Bashir Abdulhafiz

For the past five months, a significant part of our university community has been living in total darkness. I am referring specifically to the areas around Gate 2 and Gate 3 of the Jauro Bose community, which house hundreds of students of Federal University Kashere, Gombe state. The cause is no longer a mystery, it’s a critical part of the public transformer serving that zone got damaged. As simple as that problem sounds, its impact on our daily lives has been anything but simple.

Imagine coming back from a long day of lectures. You have an assignment to submit in two days, a textbook to read, and a phone battery that is already red. You sit down in your room, flip the switch, and nothing happens. You light a candle or a kerosene lamp. The smoke stings your eyes. The flickering light strains your vision. You cannot charge your laptop. You cannot preserve food. You cannot even fan yourself properly because the heat in Gombe State is relentless. This has been our reality for 150 days.

For 150 days, students living in these communities have been forced to live like refugees in a digital age. No light to read at night. No way to charge a laptop for that urgent assignment. No fan to beat the Gombe heat. Phone power banks have become our most prized possessions, and the cheerful sound of a freezer has been replaced by the sour smell of spoiled food. This is not just an inconvenience, it is a direct assault on our academic pursuit and mental well-being of students.

However, I am writing this not to fan the flames of anger, but to channel our collective frustration into something productive. As a patriotic young Nigerian who loves this university and this country, I believe that problems are not solved by chaos but by calm, united, and strategic action. I see the frustration in your eyes. I hear the murmurs of protest. I feel the boiling anger. But I urge you: let us be patient. Let us be calm.

Why? Because anger that is not channeled leads to destruction, not solutions. Breaking gates, blocking roads, raining insults, or confronting security personnel will not repair a transformer. It will only give those in power an excuse to label us as violent and ignore our plight. We must understand that the spoilage of a transformer is a technical failure, and not just a political failure. Replacing parts requires bureaucracy, budget approvals, and often, a supply chain that moves slowly. Our calmness should not be mistaken for weakness. Rather, it is the platform upon which we build a respectable, and unignorable argument.

Patience does not mean silence. It means waiting while others act. But if those who are supposed to act remain idle, then patience must be paired with pressure. This is where the pen must be sharper than the sword. And it is why I must address Comrade Faizu Danyaya, the President of the Student’s Representative Council (SRC), Federal University Kashere Chapter. Comrade Faizu Danyaya, you are the voice of the students. The Student’s Representative Council (SRC) exists precisely for moments like this. For five months, your constituents have groaned and suffered in silence and in darkness. Now is the time to lead. Here is my sincere advice:

First, investigate thoroughly. Do not rely on rumors. Visit the affected transformer at Gate 2 and 3 personally. Speak to the local technicians, the university’s physical planning unit, and even the electricity distribution company. Find out exactly which part is spoiled and what is needed to replace it. Document everything with photos and written statements.

Second, write an official letter. Address the Vice Chancellor, the Dean of Student Affairs, and the Gombe State electricity authority. In the letter, clearly state the duration of the blackout (five months), the number of affected students, and the academic and health consequences. Request a specific timeline for repair. Keep copies of all correspondence.

Third, create a transparency channel. Use the SRC’s social media platforms or notice boards to update students weekly. Tell us: Has the university responded? Has any action been taken? If there are delays, explain the reasons. Students can tolerate delay if they know the truth. What we cannot tolerate is being kept in the dark twice, once by the transformer, and again by silence from our leaders.

Fourth, organize a peaceful dialogue. Request a meeting with the university management and the electricity company. Invite representatives of the affected students. Let them look us in the eye and explain the challenges. Often, face-to-face conversations break bureaucratic delays.
Lastly, explore temporary solutions. While waiting for the transformer repair, can the SRC negotiate for a temporary alternative? For example, a dedicated generator running for a few hours daily, or a solar powered charging hub for phones and laptops. Even a small relief shows that you are fighting for us. Comrade Faizu Danyaya, this is your moment to prove that student leadership is not about titles but about results. Do not fail us.

Finally, I address those in authority: the University Management, the Dean of Student Affairs, the Gombe State Government, the Local Government Representatives, and the electricity distribution company. You have known about this problem for five months. We do not believe that repairing a transformer part takes this long unless there is negligence or indifference. We are not asking for miracles. We are asking for accountability. Here is what you can do:
Firstly, prioritize the repair. If the cost is the issue, release the funds. If the spare part is unavailable locally, source it from elsewhere. If bureaucracy is slowing things down, cut the red tape, because this is an emergency. Secondly, communicate openly. Tell us the truth. If the transformer is beyond repair, say so. If a new transformer is needed, give us a timeline. Lies and silence fuel frustration. Thirdly, provide interim relief. While waiting, consider lending or renting a generator to serve the affected community. Or install solar streetlights around Gates 2 and 3 to improve security at night. Small gestures go a long way. Lastly, learn from this. Create a preventive maintenance schedule for all transformers serving the university community. Do not wait for another breakdown to scramble for solutions.

We pay our fees. We obey the rules. We fly the flag of this university with pride. But we cannot learn or thrive in darkness. Repairing that transformer is not a favor, it is a duty. If the university lacks the funds, write to the state government. If the electricity company is slow, escalate to the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC). There are emergency lines, contingency funds, and goodwill channels. Use them.

Fellow students, Comrade Faizu Danyaya, and our dear authorities: darkness is temporary. Light will return to Gates 2 and 3 of Jauro Bose community. But the speed of that return depends on all of us. Let us all remember the motto of our great nation: ‘Unity and Faith, Peace and Progress’. There is no progress without light. Students, I ask for your calm. Comrade Faizu, I demand your action. And to the authorities, I plead for your conscience. We are not enemies. We are partners in the project of building great minds. But that project cannot happen in the dark. Remember, we are all stakeholders in Federal University Kashere. We all want the same thing: an environment where learning thrives. And learning cannot thrive in darkness. Let us put hands together, calmly, intelligently, and urgently to restore our light.

God bless FUKashere.
God bless Gombe State.
God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Muhammad Bashir Abdulhafiz wrote from Federal University Kashere, Gombe State, and can be reached via abdulhafizmuhammad81@gmail.com instantly.