Kaduna Residents Groan Over Power Outage
Residents of Kaduna State have expressed frustration over the ongoing power outage in the state’s capital following a strike by staff of the Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company (KEDCO). The strike, which was declared by the National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) in protest against the dismissal of 900 of its members, has caused a major blackout, halting social and economic activities.
The outage has also led to a severe water shortage in parts of Kaduna metropolis and surrounding areas, with many residents struggling to access clean water. Women and children are having to go to the few boreholes powered by generators or solar energy in their neighbourhoods.
Aisha Muhammad, a resident of Tudun-wada, recounted how she had to beg her neighbour for water, saying, “I had to go to a neighbour’s house on Friday morning to beg before I was allowed to fetch one bucket of water.”
Similarly, Mrs. Stella Michael shared her struggles: “Even when you have the money, getting the water to buy is a problem as some private borehole owners are complaining over the cost of buying fuel. A cart of water now is sold for N2,500. We now manage water because it’s very difficult to even get the vendors.”
Housewife Maryam Abubakar explained that while her compound had a borehole, there was no electricity to power the water pumping machine.
Musa Ibrahim, a businessman at the popular Central Market in Kaduna, expressed his frustration with the situation, noting that he had been buying water from vendors for the past three days. “Everyday, I buy water worth N2,500 from vendors, and we didn’t plan for this. You can imagine spending N2,500 on buying water alone daily,” he said. He also added that his children were sometimes late for school due to the time spent searching for water.
Residents also voiced concerns about the impact on other essential services. Mrs. Aaron Danjuma, from Narayi, explained the difficulties in grinding grains without electricity, while housewife Hafsat shared that most of her tomatoes and meat were going bad due to the power outage. Similarly, Adamu Abdullahi, a meat seller at Sabo Market, noted that the power failure had caused a decline in customers.
In response, the Kaduna State Government intervened to mediate between the electricity workers and KEDCO. Deputy Governor Dr. Hadiza Balarabe hosted a meeting at the Sir Kashim Ibrahim Government House, urging both the union and the management of Kaduna Electric to resolve the issue quickly. Dr. Balarabe emphasized the widespread negative impact of the outage on homes, businesses, and security in the state. She also called for continued dialogue between the parties, even after the current dispute is settled.
