Power blackout in Northern Nigeria, disheartening – Kwankwaso

Former Kano State Governor, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has expressed strong disapproval regarding the ongoing power outages affecting various parts of northern Nigeria.

In a recent statement, Kwankwaso highlighted the significant impact of the blackout on the daily lives of residents, businesses, and overall economic activities in the region.

Kwankwaso emphasized the need for urgent government intervention to address the power supply challenges, urging authorities to prioritize the restoration of electricity to affected areas. He called for a comprehensive review of the power distribution system to ensure reliable service delivery and meet the growing energy demands of northern Nigeria.

The former governor’s condemnation reflects widespread frustration among citizens facing prolonged power outages, which have disrupted daily routines and hindered economic growth.

He shared his thoughts on his X account on Monday, saying, “It is very disheartening that many parts of Northern Nigeria are in total darkness today due to vandalism on the important 330kV Shiroro-Kaduna power line that supplies the states of Kano and Kaduna and another line that supplies Bauchi, Gombe and other parts of the northeast.”

He lamented that the situation has been compounded by the hike in the prices of petrol and diesel.

The former presidential candidate of the New Nigeria People’s Party said, “This situation has been further compounded by the high cost of petrol and diesel in Nigeria, which has further plunged homes into darkness and forced factories to close down.

“The time this crisis has taken to be addressed underscores the huge deficit of capacity our power sector has in order to address large scale problems and this must be addressed to avoid any future disruption.

“It is about time that we look into alternative power sources to address our energy needs and we need to exploit the abundant resources available to this country.”

He encouraged states to invest in alternative electricity, saying, “I wish to encourage all state governments and private investors to invest in alternative electricity sources, just like we did in Kano by installing two turbines in the Challawa Gorge and Tiga Dams in order to reduce the reliance on our inadequate and aged energy sources.”

A statement signed by Comrade Jamilu Aliyu Charanchi, CNG National Coordinator, on Sunday, also lamented the situation.

He said, “We learnt too that the first other line has been faulty for months. Yet, no effort to fix it could have saved the current avoidable situation.

“We are particularly disheartened to learn that two towers along this line have not received serious attention at the beginning of the problem to promptly restore power.

“Furthermore, the only alternative source of supply, the Jos line, has repeatedly tripped, which the TCN currently said is working to fix, but cannot bring about a lasting solution. The current state of affairs is not just unacceptable but deeply alarming.”