Prolonged power outage cripples socio-economic activities in Kano

The prolonged power outage in Kano over the past 10 days has disrupted socio-economic activities in the Kano metropolis.

Some Kano residents who spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday lamented that the situation, compounded by recurrent failure of the national grid, had left many communities in darkness, affecting businesses and households.

Many entrepreneurs also lamented the adverse impact of the blackout on their businesses.

A hotelier and bar owner, Jude Michael of Sabon Gari area of Fage Local Government Area (LGA), described the situation as frustrating.

Mr Michael said that he had lost customers due to a lack of electricity to preserve drinks.

“I have been running on a generator for days, which is making me incur losses.

“Sometimes customers come, and other times, they do not. It is not encouraging,” he said.

A welder in the Dakata quarters of Nasarawa LGA, Abubakar Bala, said that reliance on diesel to keep his operations running was unsustainable.

“We have paid for electricity, yet we do not have access. If power is not restored soon, my business might collapse,” he said.

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Mr Bala urged the government to fix the problem and also consider alternative power sources.

Another welder in Tarauni LG, Aminu Sani, said that he had to suspend operations due to the high cost of fuel required to run his generator.

“We charge more when we use generators, but not everyone can afford the increased prices. Now, we are stranded without work,” he said.

A frozen food dealer along Zaria road, Manu Garba, said that the persistent power outage had left many business owners in huge debt, as they struggled to keep their goods from perishing.

“We had expected to make good sales during Easter even if the profit would be minimal due to the economic reality in the country.

“But the issue of epileptic power supply since then till now has pushed many of us into serious debt,

“Cartons of frozen chicken and fish got spoiled after one week. While some of us managed to salvage what we could, some were not that lucky,” he said.

A hairdresser in Kumbotso, Bunmi Ola, also complained that the persistent power outage had left many business owners in huge debt.

She said that the development was a huge blow to those relying on power supply for survival.

Ms Ola said that despite their experiences, pain and losses, the electricity companies were still issuing estimated bills.

However, operators of mobile phone charging services reported increased patronage.

One of such operators, Isa Umar, said that he had raised his prices due to the cost of fuel, charging between N150 and N200 per phone.

Checks across the state further revealed that the water supply has also been affected, with the price of a 25-litre jerrycan rising from N100 to N200 in some areas.

Sani Bala, head of Corporate Communications, Kano Electricity Distribution Company, attributed the drop in electricity supply across its franchise area to ongoing network upgrades and vegetation control on its feeders.

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Mr Bala said that the maintenance work was necessary to improve the infrastructure and ensure the safety of engineers working on the network.

He said that the upgrades were part of efforts to sustain the progress made in electricity distribution, including longer supply hours and improved service delivery.

(NAN)