Nigerian Afrobeats singer Ayra Starr has said that Nigeria’s unstable electricity supply negatively impacted her childhood.
Speaking at the Global Citizen NOW event in New York, Starr claimed that her life would have been different if she had grown up with a steady electricity supply.
She recalled that poor electricity supply affected her education, career development, and even her family’s means of livelihood.
She said, “Every Nigerian child has faced some type of electricity issues. My grandma used to sell tomatoes and peppers, and I used to assist her. We had to sell it quickly because we didn’t have electricity to store them.
“The harsh experience made me who I am today. Because I had to find ways to do what I had to do without the comfort of electricity.
“Growing up, having electricity would have made a big difference. If I came back from school and I had AC or even a fan in the heat while doing my assignments, that would have made a big difference.”
Ayra Starr appealed to African leaders to address the continent’s electricity challenges, stressing that every child deserves electricity and other basic social amenities for proper growth.
