Residents and business owners in Kafanchan, Jema’a Local Government Area of Kaduna State have decried the adverse impact of the lingering electricity blackout in the area.
The New Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Kafanchan town has been in darkness since Jan. 18 when Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company (KEDC) shut down its operations in the area after a violent protest over epileptic power supply.
The protesters had taken to the streets, lamenting the “outrageous bills” from KEDC in recent times without enjoying commensurate value of electricity supply.
A protester was shot in the back and rushed to the hospital, as security operatives fired shots to disperse the angry mob, when the protest turned violent, with a car as well as some motorcycles at the KEDC office touched.
KEDC’s Head of Corporate Communications, Abdulazeez Abdullahi, had in a recent interview with newsmen, said his personnel in the area were no longer safe after the attack, hence the decision to shut down operations.
As the blackout enters its third week, some electricity consumers who spoke to NAN on Thursday said the situation had made life unbearable for them.
Mr Gambo Musa, who runs a laundry, told NAN that though a generating set provides alternative source of power for his business but that alternative had come at a huge cost.
“With this blackout, I have to run my generator for much longer periods than before, and what that means is that I spend more now to fuel it.
“The situation is truly pathetic because it’s almost as if I am spending my entire earnings from the business to power my generator,” he said.
Musa said he might be forced to jerk up what he charges customers if power supply is not restored in the near future.
A water factory owner, Nonso Agu, spoke of how the blackout had almost crippled his business, adding that electricity was crucial to his operation.
Agu appealed to KEDC to reconsider its decision for shutting down operations in Kafanchan as the current situation was taking its toll on everyone.
For Mathew Kambai, a phone repairer, said he has had to reject numerous offers since the blackout started as he had no power generating set to run some of his working tools.
“People have been coming to get their phones and other gadgets fixed but I have been turning them back.
“This is because I have no generator, but I am planning to buy one because I can’t continue like this, otherwise I will be out of business,” he added
Gladys Maimato, who operates a bar, noted that she had recorded low sales since the blackout started as customers always want their drinks ‘chilled’ which was impossible without electricity.
According to her, small businesses like hers are usually left at the mercy of electricity operators as many cannot afford alternative sources of power.
On her part, Madam Rita Bulus, a resident of Takau, also said that the issue of estimated billing which triggered the protest should be looked into to avoid a recurrence.
Bulus maintained that consumers were ready to pay for electricity if the supply was stable and the cost reasonable.
Other electricity consumers who spoke to NAN called on the local government authority and other relevant stakeholders to intervene for a quick resolution of the matter. (NAN)
