By Shehu Uthman
Following Digest Press recent report which addressed the prolonged blackouts at Shama village, alongside Benji and 80k hostels, light has been finally restored, bringing relief to student residents who have endured the ugly condition of the power outage crisis for many weeks.
Published last month in January, 2026, the report titled: “Prolonged Power Outage Disrupts Academic Life at Shama, Benji Hostels,” has generated swift response to the growing concern of students living in those private hostels.
As highlighted in the report, Shama, Benji and 80K Hostels are the most prominent private hostels in Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto, (UDUS) where students often preferred to stay, yet these hostels are known with frequent power blackout becoming a recurring problem at every academic session.
Further, it also addressed how students could no longer afford to endure the power outage, adding that it disrupted both their academic life and basic living conditions. This later called for urgent intervention from the hostels’ landlords.
Meanwhile, thanks to the DIGEST PRESS intervention with a series of reports regarding the light absence, the caretakers/landlords, after expressing deep concerns, kept to their word and finally restored the electricity at the time of filing this report.
Students Jubilate
In an interview with DIGEST PRESS, Murtala Abubakar, a 100-level Geology student and resident of Shama hostel, said that restoring the electricity would significantly reduce the financial strain on students. He explained that during the prolonged blackout, students were forced to spend daily on charging their devices.
“Power blackouts pushed us to spend about ₦500 every day just to keep our gadgets charged,” he said, noting that the restoration of power has now helped to minimize such avoidable expenses.
Similarly, Bashir Alhaji, a 400-level Biology student and resident of 80K hostel, acknowledged that electricity has not been fully restored across all hostels but emphasized that the improvement has brought considerable relief to students.
According to him, despite some blocks still battling with the light issue, at least students in other neighbouring hostels are grateful that the heavy economic burden associated with the blackout has been reduced considerably.
For Faridat Abdulfatah, a 300-level student of the Biology Department, the restoration of electricity means more than just lighting. She described the development as a major boost to students’ comfort and safety.
She also noted that students will no longer need to pay at charging points, while access to water, ironing of clothes, and general security of personal belongings have also improved.
“Now we can comfortably charge our devices ourselves, iron our clothes, and water is available for drinking, washing, and bathing. We are very happy and grateful,” she said excitedly.
“We really appreciate campus journalists” –Mubarak Olamilekan
Mubarak Olamilekan*, a 500-level Law student, shared his excitement upon hearing the news of the power restoration, extending his gratitude to campus journalists along other student advocates who consistently bring the issues to public attention.
He further acknowledged their role for ensuring that students’ welfare concerns are addressed stating thus: “We really appreciate you journalists for always intervening in issues like this. We are truly happy,” he said.
In the same respect, Adamu Ibrahim, a 400-level student from the Department of Agriculture, also commended the management for their timely intervention. He explained that the availability of electricity has helped students who rely on electric cookers, thereby saving money spent on gas.
According to him, the restored power supply has improved visibility and safety within the hostels, eliminating the darkness that previously posed security concerns.
“We can now save from the little money we have. Everywhere is bright now—no more darkness,” he said.