In Kebbi, Birnin-Kebbi Residents Groan Amidst Total Darkness
From Ayodele Ajoge, Birnin-Kebbi
The incessant power outage caused by Kaduna Electric Distribution Company(KAEDCO) is badly affecting Birnin Kebbi residents and has bring socio-economic activities of the people to paralysis.
The situations has become very unbearable and the people have results to calling on the State government, National Electricity Regulatory Commission, Human Right Commission and the Civil Society Organisation for intervention because as they sees it the KAEDCO in Kebbi is directly starving the people of electricity supply for no fault of their own.
What has now become epileptic power supply began as a partial power outage affecting some areas of Birnin Kebbi metropolis but later turned out to be almost total blackout occurring in all parts of the metropolis.
The worsening situation as a result of KAEDCO ineptitude and corruption has adversely turned people’s lives into miserable such that Residents sleep under an extreme heat due to power outage, a situation that’s threatening lives of people health wise, children and adult could not sleep in an extreme hort weather, people are so worried and expressed dismay over denial of their rights by the electricity distribution body to make use of their electronics and electrical appliances as a result of the constant power failure.
Businessmen and shop owners are badly affected, the excessive power outage has almost crippled their businesses due to insufficient supply of power on daily basis.
The mostly affected are the fashion designers and cold drinks sellers especially in this month of Ramadan fasting, small sallah is fast approaching, this is the period that people’s demands for cold drinks and designer’s fabrics are in high demand. The Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company (KAEDCO) had on several occasions complained of non payments of electricity bills by consumers which the company claimed to be largely responsible for the insufficient power supply across the metropolis. A survey conducted recently in some areas of Birnin Kebbi metropolis by some concerned citizens indicated that the customers of KAEDCO are paying their electricity bills regularly as against the claim of non payments made by the company.
Still the company is yet to respond to the result of the recent survey.
Apart from the claim for non payments of electricity bills by the customers, KAEDCO also attributed the insufficient power supply to the heat season, which according to the company has resulted to overheating of power transformers and forced the company to adopt power sharing system (load shading) to avoid faults, damages and fire outbreaks.
Some Residents of Birnin Kebbi metropolis from areas such as Tudun wada, Illela-yari, Makera gandu, Nassarawa 1 and 11 as well as Bayan kara and Bayan Oando respectively, expressed disappointment with the insufficient power supply by the Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company which they described as worrisome situation. Narrating their ordeals, the Residents revealed that they are sleeping without electricity in most cases, children and aged live in critical conditions as they could not stand the extreme heat caused by the situation.
They however, appealed to the KAEDCO to review its system of power supply for possible changes, and as well called for interventions of the National Electricity Regulatory Commission NERC and other concerned authorities.
