The ongoing electricity blackout in Kaduna metropolis and surrounding areas has brought many businesses to a standstill, leaving residents to grapple with significant losses.
The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has verified the disruption, attributing it to the collapse of Tower 7 on the Kaduna Town lines I and II located in the Rigasa community, caused by severe rainfall and strong winds.
Efforts are underway by TCN technicians who are diligently working to reinstate power to several affected neighborhoods within Kaduna city.
Conversations with local entrepreneurs and inhabitants reveal widespread distress as the power outage continues to impact livelihoods.
Gambo Henry, who runs a fish depot at Television Market, shared the devastating effect on his business: “I had stocked large quantities of ice fish, but without electricity to run my refrigerators, half of it spoiled. I don’t own a large generator to keep the freezers running. This is a huge setback-I’ve lost more than half of my investment. The Transmission Company must expedite restoring power.”
Emeka Chima, owner of a laundry service in Sabon Tasha, expressed his frustration: “It’s been nearly a week without electricity in Kaduna town. I have many clothes waiting to be ironed, but without power, I can’t complete the work or return items to my customers. Running this laundry business without electricity is impossible, and I’ve been idle because of this.”
On the other hand, Anthony Samuel, who offers phone charging services, reported a surge in business: “Since the blackout began, I’ve been using my generator to charge phones. Over a hundred customers come daily, and I earn about N10,000 each day.”
Residents from Ungwa Maigero and Narayi communities in Chikun local government area have also voiced their dissatisfaction with the prolonged power failure.
Ene Faith, a fish vendor in Narayi, lamented her losses, stating she lost more than five cartons of fish due to the blackout.
Mrs. Bukola Victoria informed LEADERSHIP that many residents have been unable to pump water for over six days. “We don’t have generators, and even if we did, fuel is unaffordable. We rely on neighbors who occasionally use their generators to pump water,” she explained.
Similarly, Mr. Yunusa Abubakar, a welder based in Sabo, expressed his hardship, revealing that the outage has prevented him from working for five days, causing a significant loss of income.
