By Muhammad Nur Tijani
There was a wild jubilation as electricity was restored to the ancient Kano city and its environs, North’s commercial hub, after days of blackout due to a grid collapse.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Nigeria had obnoxiously witnessed many national grid collapses in 2024.
They included those in February. 4, March 28, April 15 and July 6 and most recently in October 14 also in October 15, just some hours after service was restored, there was another grid collapse.
Many of the residents who spoke on the restoration of the power supply expressed appreciation for what they described as a big relief in view of the hot weather and the collapse of many businesses that largely depend on electricity.
Ali Musa, a resident of Nasarawa, said that the restoration of electricity was a big relief considering the heat in the day time.
“This is a big relief to us as we battle with the high cost of petrol to power our homes and businesses,” he explained.
Amina Shehu, a resident of Tarauni, said that she had been buying sachet water ice blocks for N300 per one and hoped the price would now go down drastically with the restoration of electricity.
“I spend N1,000 daily to buy an ice block to cool my drinks and another N2,000 to fuel my generator at home. Thank God the power has been restored,” she said.
Simon Isaac, a resident of Kumbotso, who operates a barbing saloon, said they were happy to resume full business as using a generator was not cost-effective.
Isaac urged the federal government to decentralise the national grid so as to reduce the pressure on the main grid
Another resident of the farm centre, Dayyabu Sani, who expressed his happiness, said he hoped that the government would find a lasting solution to the recurring problem.
He urged the government to invest in renewable energy and also provide mini grids.(NAN)
