BY NONYE EKWENUGO ,Kaduna
Residents of Kaduna State have expressed frustration as an ongoing power outage continues to cripple businesses across the region, with many areas experiencing a total blackout for several days.
Kaduna city has been without electricity for over 48 hours, while some areas have been in darkness for as long as seven days. Local businesses that depend on electricity, such as welding, grinding, and borehole operations, have been severely impacted, with residents struggling to adapt to the persistent blackout.
Kaduna Electric, the power distribution company, acknowledged the outages in Kaduna, Zaria, and Gusau on Monday. In a statement, Corporate Affairs Head Abdul-Azeez Abdullahi attributed the disruption to a fault in the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) system. According to Abdullahi, the Agwaji-Benue-Jos 330kV bulk circuit tripped, interrupting the power supply to several areas. He reassured customers that TCN’s engineers were patrolling the lines to identify and fix the fault.
The power crisis has left many residents grappling with everyday challenges. Victoria Yahaya, a resident of Ungwa Maigero in Chikun Local Government Area, shared her frustration. “For over five days, we haven’t been able to pump water. I have to trek for 30 minutes to find well water, which isn’t even hygienic,” she told local media.
Haruna Mohammed, a welder in Kakuri, lamented the effect on his livelihood. “I haven’t worked for a week. We’re already suffering in this country, and this outage has made things worse. I can’t even buy fuel because it’s too expensive,” he said.
Abdullahi Lawal, who runs a barbershop on Kigo Road, also expressed dissatisfaction, urging Kaduna Electric to expedite repairs.
Despite the challenges, phone charging businesses are thriving, with residents relying on them to charge their devices. However, the cost of N200 per charge is an additional burden for many, especially those needing to recharge daily.
The ongoing outage continues to disrupt daily life and economic activity, with no clear timeline for when power will be fully restored.
