- Ayra Starr, a Nigerian Afrobeats artist, discussed the impact of Nigeria’s inconsistent power supply on her childhood.
- She highlighted how the lack of stable electricity influenced her upbringing and personal development.
- Starr shared her reflections during the Global Citizen NOW event in New York.
Nigerian Afrobeats star Ayra Starr has spoken about how the country’s inconsistent power supply affected her upbringing, saying it had a major impact on her childhood experiences and development.
She made this known while speaking at the Global Citizen NOW event in New York, where she reflected on how life could have been different if she had enjoyed stable electricity while growing up.
According to her, the constant electricity challenges not only affected her education but also influenced her family’s daily activities and source of income.
“Every Nigerian child has faced some type of electricity issues. My grandma used to sell tomatoes and pepper and I used to assist her. We had to sell it quickly because we didn’t have electricity to store them,” she said.
She added that the situation helped shape her resilience, noting that growing up without reliable power forced her to adapt to difficult conditions.
“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,” she said.
Ayra Starr also explained that having steady electricity would have significantly improved her quality of life, especially during her school years, where she often struggled with studying in extreme heat without cooling systems.
“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,” she added.
She used the opportunity to urge African leaders to urgently address electricity challenges across the continent, stressing that every child deserves access to basic amenities that support proper growth and development.
