Residents of Katsina metropolis have expressed deep frustration over the persistent poor electricity supply by the Kano Electricity Distribution Company (KEDCO), especially during the Holy Month of Ramadan.
The residents, who expressed their minds in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Katsina, accused KEDCO of failure to discharge its responsibility diligently.
According to them, in spite of the recent announcement of a N500 million investment to boost services within the city, the power supply is poorer than before.
NAN recalls that on Feb. 19, the KEDCO announced the injection of N500 million aimed at boosting supply capacity, improving network stability, and delivering more reliable power in Katsina metropolis.
The Head of Corporate Communications of KEDCO, Sani Bala-Sani said, “For the Ramadan period, residents can be assured of improved electricity availability throughout the holy month.”
A resident of Layout, Adamu Garba observed that the situation had worsened in recent weeks, leaving households and business owners struggling to cope at a time when electricity demand was usually high.
“The erratic power supply has disrupted daily life, especially during the early morning hours of Suhur and the evening Iftar periods, when families rely heavily on electricity for meal preparation and other essential activities,” he said.
On her part, Halima Bello, small business owners in the state capital lamented that the unstable power supply had forced many of them to rely on generators.
She explained that significantly the situation had increased their operating costs amid the rising price of fuel, considering the huge amount being paid for the electricity bills.
A frozen food seller at Kofar Kaura, Habiba Ibrahim, said she had lost several cartons of fish and chicken due to prolonged outages, adding that the situation had caused serious financial losses to her business.
Similarly, operators of cold rooms, welding workshops, barber shops, and phone charging centres complained that the unreliable electricity supply has drastically reduced their income, with some saying they were on the verge of shutting down.
“Ramadan is usually a period when businesses record increased patronage, but this year we are struggling to survive because there is hardly electricity for hours,” Bala Musa said, a phone charging service provider in the city.
Several residents also questioned the impact of the N500 million reportedly injected by KEDCO to improve power distribution in the state, arguing that the investment had not translated into visible improvement in electricity supply.
They called on the management of KEDCO to be transparent about how the funds were utilised and urged the company to prioritise stable power supply to communities during the fasting period.
Community leaders in some parts of the metropolis said the situation had sparked growing anger among residents, warning that continued neglect of electricity challenges could further cripple economic activities in the state.
A resident of Sabon Gari, Lawal Sani, said many families now depend on candles and rechargeable lamps at night, describing the situation as “deeply disappointing” in a modern society.
(NAN)
