Power outages in Northern Nigeria have severely impacted businesses, including kiosks and bakeries, due to failures in key transmission lines for over eight days.
The widespread blackout, confirmed by the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), has left many states in darkness in the region, leading to significant financial losses for local entrepreneurs.
TCN confirmed that the tripping of the 330kV DC Ugwaji-Apir double circuit led to the widespread blackout, leaving the North-East, North-West and parts of North-Central Nigeria in darkness.
Restaurant owners have reported discarding perishable goods, while pub operators have noted a drastic drop in patronage.
“I had to throw away a lot of perishable goods. This outage has really hit us hard. It feels like we’re fighting an uphill battle just to stay afloat,” a local restaurant owner, who simply gave her name as Aisha, told Business Day.
Pubs, which typically thrive on evening patronage, are also feeling the pinch.
“The business is almost non-existent right now. People just aren’t coming out. We depend on electricity for everything: refrigeration, lighting, and even cooking,” said John Musa, a pub operator in Bukuru, Jos.
Abubakar Mohammed, a hotelier in Yola, Adamawa State, said his cost has tripled since the outages began.
“I spend three times on buying petrol to stay in business,” he said.
Meanwhile, the situation has fuelled outrage on social media as some northerners using the hashtag #EnoughisEnough are now threatening to hit the streets over the situation.
Aminu Musa Mohammed wrote: “From all indications, our patience in northern Nigeria is taken for granted. Is that an intentional act to kill all our business in the north? We are calling on the federal government to do the needful as we are closely watching them with our voters card.”
Bawa Adam wrote: “Just imagine Lagos state without light for a few days, or the southwest or southeast region! But because our northern leaders have failed us, we are left in total darkness for weeks now and all they keep on telling us is we are working on it.”
