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Kaduna residents are counting their losses as a power outage entered its third day on Wednesday.
The prolonged disruption in electricity supply has led to widespread frustration, with many households and businesses suffering significant losses.
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Perishable goods in stores and homes have been spoiled, while small businesses dependent on power for operations face severe setbacks.
PREMIUM TIMES reports that the power blackout, which began on Monday, has forced residents to seek alternative solutions in an already difficult economic environment.
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The power failure has also disrupted essential services such as hospitals and schools.
Genesis of power outage
Kaduna Electric’s decision to sack 450 employees led to a strike by the workers.
In a statement on Tuesday, the electricity distribution company’s spokesperson, AbdulAziz Abdullahi, said the decision was in response to significant operational and financial challenges that have hindered the company’s ability to meet its market and operational obligations
The company confirmed that ‘Services No Longer Required’ letters were issued to 450 employees.
Not happy with the development, the National Union of Electricity Employees ordered its members to embark on a strike, insisting that the company must withdraw the disengagement letters issued to the affected workers.
The Chairman of NUEE, Kaduna State Council, Sheyin Wakili, told journalists in Kaduna on Tuesday that due process was not followed before the disengagement.
“We are not against the management’s decision to disengage staff, but we reject the failure to fulfil legal obligations. The conditions of service stipulate that disengaged staff must receive their full entitlements, which the management has refused to pay,” he said.
Kaduna Electric’s franchise area includes the states of Kaduna, Kebbi, Sokoto, and Zamfara.
We are suffering
Nuhu Mohammed, a shop owner who sells cold drinks and confectioneries, said he has lost thousands of naira to the power outage.
“My refrigerator is empty now; I can’t store anything. What is going on with our government for God’s sake? They need to address the people in charge,” he lamented. “In just 24 hours, I lost over N200,000 because of the lack of electricity.”
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Maryam Abubakar, who sells iced fish at the Kawo Market, shared her struggles.
“We’re still trying to recover from the last blackout, and now this. I can’t even begin to count the losses. It’s ongoing. Business in Nigeria is collapsing,” she said.
Paulin Abu, a tailor based in the Kakuri area of Kaduna, revealed the impact of the electricity crisis on her work.
“We can’t operate properly because of the power issue. We can’t afford petrol, and the little we manage to get runs out quickly,” he said.
“This government of Tinubu and Uba Sani is making life harder for us here in Kaduna. No government official is communicating with the people. Even though it’s a private company problem, they need to address us and be part of the negotiations so things can return to normal.”
