No fewer than 10 communities in Kaduna and Zaria have been thrown into darkness, as Kaduna Electric attributed the prolonged power outage to damage to feeder breakers.
Residents in the affected areas, including parts of Kaduna metropolis and Zaria, have lamented that the blackout has persisted for four days without any restoration of the electricity supply.
In a statement by the Head of Corporate Communication at Kaduna Electric, Abdulaziz Abdullahi, titled “Power Outage on 11kV NOCACO and 11kV Arewa Bottlers Feeders in Kaduna”, the company apologised to customers affected by the outage.
“We sincerely apologize to our esteemed customers in Angwan Romi, Gbagyi Villa, Tirkania, Unguwan Makama in Makera, and parts of Television for the outage currently being experienced,” the statement read.
Abdullahi explained that the outage was caused by a fault on the breaker at PAN Injection Substation, adding that the technical team was working to restore the supply.
In a separate statement titled “Power Outage in Kudan, Kaduna State”, Abdullahi informed customers in Kudan and environs that the power failure was due to a fault on the 33kV Kudan Feeder breaker at the Zaria Transmission Station.
He assured that the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) technical team was on site, working to repair the faulty breaker and restore power as soon as possible.
Meanwhile, in communities such as Tirkania and Gbagyi Villa, residents gathered in groups expressing frustration over the outage.
“This is now the fourth day that we have been living in the dark,” said Juliana Musa, a resident of Gbagyi Villa. “I run a cold store, and all my fish, meat, vegetables, and other perishables have been ruined.
“Even at home, everything in our freezer is spoiled. We pay our bills promptly, but Kaduna Electric has visited us with this calamity. It is very unfair.”
In the Kakuri industrial area, businesses have resorted to using generators, with the sounds of engines filling the air as companies incur additional costs for diesel and petrol to stay operational.
(Guardian)
