Ramadan: Improved electricity supply cuts ice water prices in Maiduguri

The prices of ice water have dropped in Maiduguri, Borno State, despite the high demand for the item by Muslims for breaking their Ramadan fasting amid surging heat waves.

Although the weather has recently fluctuated from sunny to less sunny, breezy, and dusty, with Sunday temperatures ranging from 39°C to 23°C, some residents attributed the price drop to steady electricity supply, especially in communities such as Pompomari Housing Estate, Shuwari 5, and Bulunkutu, among others connected to a 33kV line.

According to the residents, a regular power supply enables households to obtain cold water from their refrigerators instead of buying from traders. The prices have fallen from N100 and above to N50 for a 50cl of ice water.

Electricity supply was inconsistent during previous Ramadans, which boosted the ice-making business in the state capital. However, this Ramadan has been different.

“I do not have to rush; ice water is now everywhere. It is ₦50. If I don’t get it, I can still manage the cool water I have at home,” Abdulhamid Haruna said, adding that some residents of houses connected to the 33kV line were also giving out ice water free because electricity has been regular.

“This Ramadan, NEPA (electricity supply) did not change. At least, they maintained power provision,” Suleiman Abdullahi, a resident of Shuwari 5, said. “A 50cl ice water is now sold for ₦50.”

However, other residents connected to the 11kV line still struggle with irregular electricity supply, with a 50cl ice water selling between N50 and N100 in the areas.

The 11kV lines primarily distribute power to residential areas and businesses, while the 33kV lines/transformers are for power transmission over long distances and to large commercial and industrial areas.

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Residents using the 11kV line said the 33kV lines are reserved for the affluent who buy their own transformers and pay slightly higher bills.

“We are under the 11kV line; we do not have that privilege. Power supply in 12 hours does not last more than two hours here,” Alhaji Benesheik, from the Chaskon area but connected to the 11kV line, said.

“The difference is too much. They have power for almost 24 hours, and we struggle with two hours daily,” Bukar Musa, a resident of Bulunkutu, said angrily.

This reporter tried to speak to Kabiru Nepa, who the residents said works for the Yola Electricity Distribution Company and normally comes for inspection in the Chaskon area, but his phone number was not reachable, and a sent message did not deliver.

In the first week of Ramadan, a 50cl of ice water was sold for between N100 and N150, but had come down to N50 to N100 as of Sunday evening.

Major streets, including Baga Road, where ice water vendors normally station themselves during evening hours, have been less occupied.

Some vendors selling on Sunday along the Pompomari By-Pass were also trying to sell each 50cl ice water for ₦100, but there was no patronage.

Earlier this month, the Federal Ministry of Power said Nigeria achieved a power generation of 6,003 megawatts (MW), the highest in the nation’s history. This was followed by another landmark when the country recorded a peak generation evacuation of 5,801.84 MW and a daily maximum energy output of 128,370.75 megawatt-hours (MWh).

However, it is not clear if the alleged electricity supply boost is connected to this development, as Maiduguri does not solely rely on the national grid but also has a gas plant established during the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.