Enugu city is a beautiful place to reside in, it comes with its ups and down but so does everywhere. I live inside my school campus; University of Nigeria Enugu Campus. My school has 7 hostels for accommodation of students; 5 for females and 2 for males. I reside in the largest girls’ hostel; Lady Ibiam Hostel.
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How about we explore the environment based on basic amenities needed to survive a normal day.
WATER
Unfortunately, Enugu state was not blessed with an abundance of water under it. This makes it a bit difficult to get water. The vast majority of houses do not have in-built water systems or pipes; they do not have water running inside the house. This means we have to buy water from water producing companies, that supply in tanks so various households have tanks where water is stored and accessed.
Sadly the school does not cover the cost of water so the tanks that are provided for each hostel, are owned by private individuals. On the one hand, it is a great business idea but on the other hand, it is not cost effective for the students that have to buy the water. A 25 liter gallon goes for 100naira.
Drinking water is readily available to be purchased. It is usually packaged in sachets, each sachet holds 60cl of water and a bag of water contains 20 sachets. One bag of water is sold at 220naira.
ELECTRICITY
Constant electricity is a myth in Nigeria as a whole 😅. So we definitely do not have constant electricity in Enugu but compared to some places like Lagos, we are better off. They usually provide electricity (bring the light) in patterns. For instance, they could bring it for three hours then take it for 2 hours then bring it again for four hours then take it and bring it at night to last all through the night and into the morning, and then begin the pattern over again the next day.
Sometimes the pattern changes but overall, electricity is fair. Just make sure to have a good power-bank for your devices.
FOOD
As a student, fast food outlets are extremely important because we usually don’t have the time to cook or plan meals. Compared to our main campus, this campus barely has enough restaurants or food outlets to satisfy people. The range of food gotten here is not wide.
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The majority of us also do not have refrigerators or freezers to store already cooked food. So if we cook, we have to warm it up at intervals till it’s finished. Because of this, we cannot cook in large quantities.
Gas cookers are not allowed inside the hostel, only kerosene stoves and with the alarmingly high rates at which kerosene is sold, that is not a feasible option. So we resort to hot plates powered by electricity.
ENTERTAINMENT
My school is in the city so there are a lot of places to go for leisure and entertainment. We have ShopRite, which is a huge mall that has almost everything; game hubs, shopping malls, movie theatres, restaurants, Dominos and Cold-stone creamery and a lot more. The city also has karaoke bars, clubs, restaurants, hotels, event centers, parks; you name it we got it.
It is excellent for when school pressure is getting to you and you want to wind down with your friends. You can count on Enugu city to give you a perfect distraction from your everyday worries. You just need some cash to spend and you’re good to go.
TRANSPORT & SECURITY
Daily commute is done via tricycles (AKA keke), commercial buses, Bolt (a type of Uber), and private vehicles. With the damning economy, transport fare is pricey and forces you to think deeply before going anywhere.
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South-east as a whole is not completely safe. Every Monday we observe a sit-at-home order due to some unresolved issues. It is dreadfully unsafe to go out on Mondays, especially in the mornings and afternoons. It is also unsafe to be out at late hours of the night. Apart from these two times, it’s relatively safe.
IF I WERE TO CHANGE ONE THING
There are so many things I would change about my residential area starting from the water; I would make sure that water is easily and freely accessible to everyone, it is a natural resource after all. Electricity would be stable 24/7; I would also make sure there are a variety of food options to choose from inside my campus. The security would be top-notch at all times, if I have anything to do about it.
Having analyzed some important factors, I would say that Enugu is a habitable place to live. It's a mix of rural and urban!