How OAU’s Shared Grid with Ife Steel Factory Exposes Students' Appliances to Lethal Voltage Surges. ₦ 180 000 Worth of electrical gadgets Destroyed in 48 hrs.

 By Ogunlana Klistivivi

 It was first a sharp “pah!” followed by the acrid smell of burning plastic.

For Ibrahim, it was the sudden silence of a 15-year-old fan — a family heirloom — followed hours later by a blown Laptop charger and extension box. For Sanmi, reading at 4 a.m., it was his phone charger dying in the middle of the night. For Balogun Daniel, it was the explosive “poof” of a light bulb, shattering and spraying glass across his room.

Over two days — Tuesday, January 27, and Wednesday, January 28 — a catastrophic voltage surge ripped through Gloryland Hostel, Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, destroying students’ essential electronics and causing losses conservatively estimated at over ₦180,000, based solely on documented reports.

When the Association of Campus Journalists, OAU (ACJOAU), contacted the university’s Works Unit, the explanation raised deeper concerns: Gloryland Hostel draws power from a transformer shared with an off-campus iron-smelting factory, limiting the university’s ability to regulate voltage. The official advice to students for future protection? “They can use stabilizers.”

This investigation documents how a known infrastructural vulnerability exposed students to avoidable losses, while responsibility for protection and compensation was quietly shifted onto those already affected.

WHEN THE HUM STOPPED

The first sign was a silence when there should have been a hum.

In the early hours of Tuesday, January 27, in one of the rooms in Gloryland Hostel, Ile-Ife, Ibrahim* woke to find his fan motionless. Its red power light stared back, a dead eye in the dark. This was no ordinary appliance; it was a piece of family history, handed down by his grandmother from the UK, having survived over a decade and a half of use. In Gloryland Hostel, on that quiet morning, it simply fell silent.

That was the first ominous sign, one he didn’t consider significant at the time.

“I just felt that, oh, my fan... what's happening? I left it on. I met it off. The red light was on, but I looked at it, and it wasn't rotating. I was like, ah,” Ibrahim said.

Having just woken up with sleep in his eyes, Ibrahim was unable to place what had happened. His roommate, who had been awake reading through the night, said the fan had just suddenly stopped working in the middle of the night.

Confused, Ibrahim, a devoted Muslim, set out to pray. At that point, he thought it was a minor technical fault. He carried on with his daily activities in the hope that later, he would just come back, spin it, and get it running again. Or so he thought. When he eventually returned to turn it on, the first shock of the long 48-hour ordeal arrived.

“I sha came back, removed it, spin it, spin it. In short, I diagnosed pe kini yi ti lo (the fan had gone),” Ibrahim recalled with resignation.

He was not the only one, though. Across the hostel, Ibrahim learned other residents had experienced similar spoiling of their electrical gadgets, suggesting that it might have been due to a one-off light disturbance that had seemingly stabilized over the course of the night.

“So I was like, okay, maybe the light…But I felt like, okay, it was stable now,” he said.

But Ibrahim was just about to find out that what he thought was a random, one-off glitch was only the beginning of a stream of losses over the 48 hours. Later that night, as Ibrahim went to sleep, this time without the usual humming and breeze from his fan, little did he know the catastrophe awaiting him.

THE EXPLOSION

The next morning, Wednesday, the 28th, Ibrahim woke up early to study on his Laptop, which he charged alongside. When the battery was fully charged, he disconnected the charger from the laptop but left it plugged into the extension.

Around midnight, as Ibrahim worked at his table, the air cracked open. It was the loud, sharp, explosive pop of his socket blowing up, followed by the unmistakable odour of burning plastic and electronics.

“I was still sitting at my table working... when I heard kpo-pao! And I started smelling barbecue,” he remarked, recalling the occurrence vividly.

He hurriedly yanked the charger from the extension box, but it was too late. The cycle was complete: he had lost his grandmother’s fan, his laptop charger, and his extension box.

What made it worse was that this was the third fan he had lost within the nearly two years he had spent in the hostel, with the recent losses more like the final nail in the coffin.

“Gloryland is the common factor with everything,” he stated, sadness on his face.

Ibrahim was not alone. His tragedy was the opening in a series of sparks and smoke that erupted across Gloryland Hostel that week. While the impact varied, the description was the same for students across the blocks.

Phone chargers reportedly damaged by the power surge at Gloryland Hostel. Some of the chargers were less than two months old, according to affected students.

Flames During Exam Prep

That same Tuesday morning, Adegbusi Sanmi was reading for his End-of-Posting (EOP) exams in the hostel reading room. Around 4 a.m., the crisis struck at the worst possible hour.

“Around 4:00 AM... I just heard that 'pah!' and I started perceiving a smell,” he recounted. It was the sound of an explosion from the socket where he plugged in his system to read, followed by the pungent smell of burnt electronics.

His first instinct was to remove the charger, but it was too late. When he tried to plug it in again, he found the charger had spoiled.

“I felt bad because I'm preparing for EOP, so this is not the time for that kind of thing to happen,” he said. With exams looming, he had no choice but to scrape together funds from an already stretched budget to buy a new charger that same Tuesday.

But the hostel’s electrical system was not done with him. When he plugged in the brand-new replacement on Wednesday afternoon, the horror repeated.

“Again, I heard another pah!... I saw flame coming from the charger,” he recounted. He quickly unplugged it from the wall, a miracle that saved him from losing his gadget twice in 24 hours. “I just hope that it will continue to work,” he said, hopeful the new charger would survive the damage it suffered.

A Narrow Escape

Awake between 2 and 4 a.m. on Wednesday, Balogun Daniel was cooking when he heard a “poof!” from across the room. A light bulb in an unoccupied bed space exploded, scattering glass across the floor.

“I got alarmed, like okay, what happened?” he recounted. This was his alarm. “I quickly took precautions, went to turn off the sockets in the room.”

But it was too late. Curious to see if anything else was affected, he carefully turned one extension back on to test his charger. It didn’t work. His roommate’s charger also didn’t—two chargers, gone in an instant.

“I got that charger for 7,000 Naira… and it just poof!... I just replaced that bulb like two, three weeks ago… and like that, 1,500 gone,” he lamented.

Laptop power cables damaged by the power surge at Gloryland Hostel. Students said the damage occurred while devices were plugged into wall sockets inside their rooms

Returned to a Lifeless Charger

Around 6 a.m. Wednesday, Thompson Godwin plugged his Laptop in to charge before leaving for school. He set out to jog, but when he returned, it was not the usual scent of his room that greeted him, but the faint, familiar, sickening odor of burnt electronics.

“I’m very familiar with the way chargers smell, especially Laptop chargers after they get burnt,” he said.

His roommate broke the news that there had been a loud sound near the socket and a power surge. “Immediately, I tied the information of what he said and the smell together, and I was like, my charger has probably burnt.”

Godwin’s loss was a Laptop charger he had used for two years. Its death was more than an inconvenience. “I could not charge my laptop for days… most of my books are soft copies, so the rate at which I read was significantly reduced.”

In desperation, he began using an incompatible charger, risking permanent damage to his laptop.

The bitter irony was the unused surge protector lying on his table. “I just felt, well, it’s just like every other day, and nothing should probably happen,” he admitted.

Caught Unawares

Olawale Daniel had missed the morning lamentations in the hostel because he woke up late, only to begin rushing for a 9 a.m. class. The only thing he noticed was that there was no water because the pumping machine couldn't be used due to the "bad light."

Returning exhausted, his phone dead, a fellow resident asked if “the light was better now.” Olawale took it to mean the earlier low voltage had been fixed.

“I was thinking that, okay, possibly there was no light in the morning, and there was now light,” he said. He plugged in his brand-new high-speed phone charger, bought less than two months ago.

The response was immediate. “It made a 'pss,' and then I smelt it. It's the way you smell your charger, and you know something is wrong.”

His ₦6,000 investment was dead on arrival. The shock was compounded by the discovery that he had walked, uninformed, into a known danger zone. “I think maybe much publicity was not done,” he said dejectedly.

THE NUMBERS BEHIND THE SMOKE

To estimate the impact of the incident, ACJOAU circulated a damage assessment form. As responses trickled in, a picture of collective devastation formed across all blocks.

Preliminary survey data captured losses of over ₦180,000, though this excludes the majority of students spoken to in person, whose combined losses would push the total far higher.

Mubaraq Ológùnebi was one of the students who responded. For him, it was a total annihilation of his electronic ecosystem. Over 48 hours, he lost an extension box, a ceiling fan, two standing fans, a Laptop adapter, and a phone charger—a total loss he estimated at ₦64,000.

His repair bill was a ledger of despair: ₦12,000 for the ceiling fan, ₦13,000 and ₦18,000 for the standing fans, ₦15,000 for the adapter, and ₦6,000 for the phone charger. “We woke up to discover the damage,” he wrote.

Olalumade Ezekiel, another resident also lost a ₦45,000 newly bought table fan to the surge on Tuesday. The light flickered about thrice, then there was a pop accompanied with smoke from the bottom of the fan,” he wrote.

Ezekiel’s newly purchased N45,000 standing fan damaged during the power surge at Gloryland Hostel, Obafemi Awolowo University. The appliance had functioned normally before the voltage fluctuation that affected the hostel over two days.

Ezekiel’s newly purchased N45,000 standing fan damaged during the power surge at Gloryland Hostel, Obafemi Awolowo University. The appliance had functioned normally before the voltage fluctuation that affected the hostel over two days.
The Night the Grid Went

THE NIGHT THE GRID WENT ROGUE

Even the Hall Chairman, Toluwalope Faleye, was a victim; his Laptop power cable was fried. Wanting to warn others, he sent a notice to the hostel WhatsApp group, but for many, it was already too late.

When he tried to identify the cause, he found out that the voltage—which should have been a stable 240V—was spiking erratically. “That particular day... it was off the roof of 300,” he recounted.

Alarmed, he alerted the University’s Power Department. The technicians responded within the hour, and by that night, the fluctuations ceased. The immediate fire was out, but the trauma lingered.

When asked if the university could provide reassurance, the Hall Chairman replied bluntly, “There’s no reassurance from anybody.”

He highlighted that the cause was "something central" in the power distribution, pointing beyond the hostel walls, and instead advised residents to “safeguard your belongings.”

THE SHARED TRANSFORMER

Investigating the cause of the voltage climbing “off the roof of 300,” ACJOAU contacted the University’s Power Department, who responded to halt the voltage fluctuations that day. In a telephone interview, the respondent (name withheld for anonymity) provided a shocking revelation.

At first, he offered textbook excuses. He explained that power surges can stem from passive natural causes—wind "marrying" lines, falling poles, or frequency fluctuations. While technically accurate, these reasons failed to explain why a catastrophic surge raged repeatedly over 48 hours, specifically within Gloryland Hostel.

With persistent questioning, he finally revealed a shocking truth. The surge had likely originated from the university’s primary power feed at a station at Ajibandale. This transformer, however, does not serve only the university.

“We share the same transformer with an iron-melting company in town, along Ife-Ibadan Road,” he explained. Confirmations from ACJOAU indicated that the “iron melting company” was likely Ife Iron & Steel Nigeria Limited, a steel factory located on the Ife-Ibadan Expressway. This admission was decisive.

This admission was decisive. While an industrial foundry requires high, stable voltage for heavy machinery, a student hostel requires safe, regulated voltage for domestic electronics. A random fault from "wind" could not have explained the scale of destruction reported by students; a shared grid with a volatile industrial load, however, makes the recurring threat an inevitability.

When asked if the feed could be controlled to prevent these surges, his response was a chilling admission of the university’s lack of leverage. “They [Ajibandele Power Station] said they cannot regulate it more than that because we are not the only one [using it],” he said. The reason? Lowering the voltage to safe campus levels could cause “energy loss” for the factory.

Zero Accountability

This suggests that the instability surging through Gloryland was born in a grid where the electrical needs of a foundry and a student hostel are unequally balanced. While the problem is institutional, the university continues to manage the risk at students' expense.

Despite this systemic failure, when asked what protection existed for students against future occurrences, his response was to the individual rather than the institution. “They can use stabilizers,” he said, suggesting students buy personal stabilizers to protect themselves. He acknowledged the possibility of the university centrally installing “high-voltage stabilizers” to safeguard the entire hostel, but said no such plans exist.

The cruel practicality of this advice, however, dissolves in the face of student life. Already struggling with increased fees, students are now being asked to pay for a problem they did not create; not only to replace what was destroyed, but also to pay extra in the hope of preventing the next destruction.

Having traced the fault line from melted chargers to a faraway foundry, a final, unresolved question remains: In a system where the cause is acknowledged but the accountability is diffused, who ultimately bears the cost when the lights betray those they are meant to serve?

NB: * Ibrahim is a pseudonym to keep the respondent anonymous. In addition, the name of the person who spoke at the Power Department was withheld for anonymity and safety reasons.

NELFUND Extends Application Deadline for 2025/2026 Academic Session

By Divine-Mercy Abioye

The Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), a federal government-established agency responsible for providing interest-free student loans to eligible Nigerians, has extended the application deadline for the 2025/2026 academic session. The original closing date of January 31, 2026, has been moved to Friday, February 27, 2026.

NELFUND was created under the Student Loans (Access to Higher Education) Act of 2024 to provide financial support for tuition costs and upkeep allowances to qualified Nigerian students attending approved public tertiary institutions and increasingly, to vocational and technical trainees. The fund aims to reduce financial barriers to higher education and improve access, operating through an online portal for applications and verification. 

In a statement released on Thursday, January 29, the agency stated the extension is designed to give prospective applicants additional time to complete and submit their applications. The management noted that the decision intends to ensure that no eligible student misses the opportunity to benefit due to timing constraints or technical delays.

Mr. Akintunde Sawyerr, the Managing Director/CEO of NELFUND, described the extension as part of the organisation’s commitment to inclusive access. “This extension reflects our commitment to inclusivity and access. We understand that some applicants may require additional time to complete their submissions, and this decision ensures that every eligible Nigerian student has a fair opportunity to benefit from the Fund,” Sawyerr stated.

The agency urged all prospective students who have not yet completed their applications to use the extended window and ensure all required documentation is uploaded correctly by the February 27 closing date. 

Senator Oluremi Tinubu to Visit OAU, Handover CNG Vehicles and Commission Dream Center

By Sanusi Fawaz 

Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, is set to host the First Lady of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Her Excellency, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, CON, on Thursday, January 29, 2026, in an official visit.

Source: Premium Times

The visit will feature the commissioning and formal handover of 50 buses and 10 tricycles donated to the university in October 2025 by the First Lady to improve campus transportation.

This comes on the backdrop of recent transportation challenges students have faced, most notably the long queues they experienced due to severe bus shortages.

 

Long Queues on Campus due to Bus Shortages

Source: ACJOAU

Also slated for commissioning is the Senator Oluremi Tinubu Dream Centre, a facility expected to support student development and community engagement.

The commissioning of the Dream Centre will be performed by the Ooni of Ife, His Imperial Majesty, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja II, adding royal significance to the event.

In anticipation of the visit, the university management has announced that heightened security and restricted movement will be enforced across the campus during the programme. 

Staff and students have been urged to cooperate with security agencies, adhere strictly to official instructions, and maintain proper conduct throughout the visit.

OAU Giants Held to Goalless Draw by FUNAAB in Inter-University Novelty Match

By Sanusi Fawaz 

The Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) Giants were held to a 0–0 draw by the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB) in an inter-university novelty football match played at the OAU Sports Complex Mainbowl on Sunday, 25 January 2026.

Image Credit: Iscosports

The encounter, which attracted a lively crowd of students and football enthusiasts, formed part of efforts to strengthen sporting ties and promote unity among Nigerian universities. 

Despite creating several scoring opportunities, Coach Faleti’s side, OAU Giants, could not break down a disciplined FUNAAB defense, while both goalkeepers delivered solid performances to keep the match scoreless.

Beyond the action on the pitch, the event also featured the official unveiling of the OAU Giants’ new jersey. The kit was formally presented to the team by OAU Ex-Players, marking a symbolic moment of continuity and support between past and present generations of the club.

Though the novelty match ended without a winner, it reinforced inter-university camaraderie and celebrated the rich football culture within the Nigerian university system.

Beyond Exams: Attendance and Assignments Key to Improving Academic Performance

By Ojelade Pipeloluwa

At the university, there is much emphasis on tests and examinations. In fact, for the majority of students, test and exam weeks are when they get serious, doing overnights in lecture theatres or spending the day in the school library. 

Underlying this belief is perhaps the idea that tests and exams are the defining moments that determine a person's CGPA or pass/fail status in the university.

But in reality, academic performance for many students is shaped long before they enter the examination hall. Across campus, class attendance and assignments continue to influence how well students perform in their courses. Interviewing several students on campus reveals mixed opinions. 

Although examinations remain important, students say consistent attendance helps them better understand course content, while assignments provide opportunities to earn additional marks through continuous assessment.

According to Grace Adeniyi, a 200-level student from the Faculty of Administration, attending lectures regularly has helped her stay on track academically. 

‘Most times, lecturers explain things in class that later come out in assignments or exams. If you miss lectures, you are already behind,’ she stated. 

She also added that even if a student does not perform exceptionally well in exams, assignments can help balance the score.

Joy Adesanya explained that lectures often provide insights that cannot be easily replaced. 

‘There are things lecturers say in class that you will not find in slides or textbooks. Missing that affects both assignments and exams,’ she noted. 

Similarly, Samson Peace, a 300-level student, said being present in class helps her stay focused. ‘When you attend classes, you understand what is expected of you. It also makes you more serious about submitting assignments on time,’ she added.

However, this reaction is not the same for all students. Aliu Salmod, a 300-level student from the Faculty of Science, believes attendance and assignments are sometimes over-emphasised. 

‘I feel attendance and assignments do not always reflect how well a person understands a course. Some students can study on their own and still perform well in exams. Missing a few classes or assignments should not automatically mean losing marks,’ he argued.

Another interviewed student raised concerns about the large marks sometimes awarded for assignments and attendance.

'Once you miss an assignment or attendance, that mark is gone. It becomes zero. That can affect your grade badly, even if you do well in exams. Sometimes the system feels too strict and doesn’t consider individual situations.'

A lecturer from the Faculty of Arts, reacting to these concerns, explained that attendance and assignments are meant to support the learning process rather than serve as punishment. 

‘Assignments help us assess students gradually, while attendance allows them to follow the course properly. Students who participate consistently tend to perform better overall,’ the lecturer noted.

He further added that continuous engagement helps students avoid relying solely on last-minute exam preparation.

Meanwhile, as the academic session continues, attendance and assignments remain essential tools for students seeking to strengthen their academic performance. Beyond examinations, consistent participation in lectures and coursework continues to shape academic outcomes across campus.

New Beginnings as OAU Matriculates Fresh Students for 2025/2026 Session

By Salako Blessing

On Thursday, 15 January 2026, Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) was filled with excitement and merriment as hundreds of newly admitted students were formally matriculated into the institution. With bright smiles and overflowing blue gowns, the students gathered at the newly renovated Amphitheatre for the ceremony, marking the beginning of a new chapter in their educational journey.

The ceremony was conducted in two sessions to accommodate all faculties. The first batch included students from the Faculties of Administration, Arts, Environmental Design and Management, Law, and Social Sciences. The second batch comprised the Faculties of Agriculture, Basic Medical Sciences, Clinical Sciences, Computing Science and Engineering, Dentistry, Education, Pharmacy, Science, and Technology.

VC Warns Against Social Vices

The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Adebayo Simeon Bamire, congratulated the new students, noting that they were selected from tens of thousands of applicants. He emphasised that OAU remains a centre of excellence and the ‘most beautiful campus in Africa’. In his address, he reiterated the University’s zero-tolerance policy towards social vices, warning that students found engaging in cultism, drug abuse, examination malpractice, sexual harassment, cybercrime, and violent protests will face the full wrath of the law.

‘The degree you will eventually receive is awarded to those who have been found worthy in both character and learning,’ the VC charged the matriculating students. With parents and guardians watching with joy, the matriculating students, led by the Registrar, took the matriculation oath, promising to be obedient to the university authorities, observe all codes of conduct, and refrain from acts of violence.

Mixed Reactions Among Matriculants

OAUPeeps spoke with several matriculants who expressed immense joy. Precious, a student from the Department of Biochemistry, shared her excitement: ‘I feel great today, and the highlight of the day was wearing my matriculation gown. I have been waiting for this day for 3 years, and today my dreams are finally becoming a reality.’

Another student, Odunayo from the Faculty of Law, described her feelings as overwhelming. ‘I feel thrilled and filled with so much excitement,’ she said, adding that she looks forward to a school year filled with academic excellence and meaningful connections.

For Ayomikun, a student of Science Laboratory Technology, the day was both demanding and memorable. ‘Today has been the most stressful and memorable day of my life,’ she said, boldly stating her goal to graduate with a CGPA of 5.0. She noted that the day did not go entirely as planned due to a shift in the programme schedule, with the second session starting at 10:00 a.m. instead of the expected 11:30 a.m.

However, not all students shared the same level of novelty. Joseph, a former student who was readmitted to study Law, expressed a more reserved perspective. ‘I feel indifferent about the whole process because this is not my first time,’ he said. ‘It is better this time around because I will be studying the course I actually want.’

PG Students also Matriculated

The ceremony also saw the matriculation of postgraduate students, including high-profile figures such as Alhaji Ashiru Bola Oyebamiji, the former manager of the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), highlighting OAU's continued pull as a centre of academic excellence.

With the ceremony concluded, yesterday marked the beginning of years filled with learning, growth, and new opportunities for the newest members of the ‘Great Ife’ community.

OAU Issues Ultimatum to Students with Manually Allocated Bedspace

By Sanusi Fawaz

The Division of Student Affairs (DSA), Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, has released a special directive to all students who received accommodation through manual allocation. The notice urges these students to make the necessary payments within the approved timeframe or risk losing their allocated bed spaces.

In the notice dated 12 January, the DSA clarified that students assigned accommodation during the period the e-portal was down for maintenance must complete their payments strictly through the university’s e-portal. The Division emphasised that no other payment channels will be recognised. 

This release follows the recent temporary shutdown of the school e-portal for maintenance, which began around 24 November. This situation, previously reported by OAUPeeps, prevented many students from accessing the portal to register courses and pay fees until its restoration on 19 December 2025.

The deadline for affected students to complete their payment is Monday, 19 January. After payment, students are expected to submit their bed space clearance forms at the Division of Student Affairs for proper documentation and endorsement.

Furthermore, students whose manually allocated bed spaces are yet to appear on their e-portal accounts are directed to report to Room 4, Division of Student Affairs, on or before 16 January. These students must bring valid proof of school charges payment, specifically their clearance certificate.

The Division emphasised that failure to comply with these instructions within the stipulated deadlines will result in the automatic forfeiture of the allocated bed spaces.