The protracted power outage witnessed in Kano over the past 10 days has affected socio-economic activity across the metropolis.
Speaking to reporters on Sunday, some Kano locals bemoaned the fact that numerous areas were in the dark, impacting both homes and businesses, and that the situation was made worse by frequent nationwide grid outages.
The negative effects of the blackout on their business activities were likewise lamented by several businesspeople.
Mr Jude Michael, a hotelier and pub proprietor from the Fagge Local Government’s Sabon Gari neighbourhood, called the circumstance annoying.
Michael said he had lost customers due to the 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 relying on diesel to keep his business 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.
Bala urged the government to resolve the issue and consider alternative power sources.
Another welder in Tarauni LGA, Aminu Sani, said he had suspended operations due to the high cost of fuel needed 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 the persistent outage had plunged many business owners into debt as they struggled to prevent their goods from perishing.
“We had expected to make good sales during Easter, even if the profit would be minimal due to the country’s economic situation. But the epileptic power supply since then has pushed many of us into serious debt.
Cartons of frozen chicken and fish got spoiled after a week. While some of us managed to salvage what we could, others were not so lucky,” he said.
Bunmi Ola, a hairdresser in Kumbotso, added that several companies were deeply indebted as a result of the ongoing outage.
For people who depend on power to survive, she said, the situation is a severe blow.
Ola went on to say that electrical firms continued to issue anticipated bills in spite of their losses.
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Nonetheless, operators of mobile phone charging stations reported a rise in business.
Malam Isa Umar, one of these operators, claimed that he had increased his fees because of the cost of petrol and now charges between ₦150 and ₦200 each phone.
The cost of a 25-liter jerrycan increased from ₦100 to ₦200 in certain places, indicating that the water supply had also been impacted, according to checks conducted around the state.
The Head of Corporate Communications at the Kano Electricity Distribution Company, Sani Bala, ascribed the decline in supplies across the franchise area to ongoing network renovations and vegetation management on feeders.
Bala said the repair was important to maintain infrastructure and guarantee safety for professionals operating on the network.
He went on to say that the improvements, which included extended supply hours and better service delivery, were a part of initiatives to maintain advancements in power distribution.
