Residents of Jigawa State are reeling in pain and anguish following the mass disconnection of electricity lines from the national grid by the Kano Electricity Distribution Company (KEDCO) officials who have continued to flout the directive of the minister of power in that regard.
Arewa PUNCH reports that the minister had instructed that customers affected by the recent national grid collapse should be exempted from bills during the blackout period.
KEDCO officials in Jigawa State have ignored this directive, leaving thousands of residents without power.
The blackout, which lasted for three weeks, affected 17 northern states, including Jigawa.
Just three days after power was restored, the grid collapsed again, plunging the state into darkness.
So epileptic has electricity supply in the North been that it is on record that the power grid has collapsed ten times this year alone.
Regrettably, not a few stakeholders lamented to Arewa PUNCH that it was yet during this period that KEDCO officials began disconnecting customers en-mass for non-payment of bills.
Residents across various areas in Dutse, the state capital have expressed their outrage to our correspondent, criticising the action.
As a result, many residents have been alleged to have been involved in one quarrel or fight with some of these KEDCO officials who insisted on disconnecting their power.
Some residents claimed to have lodged complaints with the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) and KEDCO’s Regional Manager in Dutse.
Despite these complaints, the mass disconnections have persisted.
In separate interviews with Arewa PUNCH in Dutse, some of the affected customers revealed their ordeal, saying, “We are shocked that KEDCO officials would be so heartless”, said a resident of Takur Site, Aminu Danladi.
He continued, “How can they bill us for a period when there was no power?
“We appealed to the authorities to intervene, but nothing has been done”, said a resident of Gida-dubu, Hajiya Fatima Mohammed
“This is unacceptable”, said Alhaji Abubakar Suleiman, a businessman.
“We are already struggling to make ends meet, this additional burden and cheating by KEDCO is the height of it”, he stressed.
The disconnections have also affected businesses, causing significant losses running into millions of naira per day.
“We can’t operate without power”, said the owner of a local bakery, Mrs. Helen Okon. “KEDCO’s actions are crippling our businesses”.
Other complainants like Alhaji Abubakar Suleiman are frustrated with the lack of empathy shown by KEDCO officials, maintaining, “We understand that they need to collect revenue, but can’t they see we’re struggling?” he queried.
Another affected resident at G9 Quarters, Dutse, Hajiya Fatima Mohammed, expressed concerns about the impact on her children’s education. “My kids can’t study without electricity. KEDCO’s actions are affecting their future”.
For Mrs. Helen Okon, the owner of Saloon shop in Kiyawa road, the disconnection has meant a huge loss of income for her, just as it is putting people into endless hardships.
“Without constant elrctricity, how will I run my business, pay my workers and still hope to earn even a little profit to feed my family?” She cried, while pleading with KEDCO to reconsider its approach and work with customers to find a solution to tackle the crippling electricity snag being experienced in Jigawa, Okon stated.
She further pleaded with the “Authorities to come and intervene to address our lingering worries with the power sector’s 5 workers in this country”, decried Okon.
Several of the customers equally insisted that there was the need for an urgent intervention from the authorities to address the situation, calling on both the Jigawa State Government and the National Electricity Regulatory Commission to protect the citizens from the situation.
NERC, Dutse Head Office was reached for comments but received no responses as officers met said they were not authorised to speak to the press.
Responding when contacted via telephone, the KEDCO’s spokesperson Mr. Sani Bala Sani clarified that the ongoing disconnections were for unpaid September bills, not for the blackout period in October.
“We are not billing customers for the duration of the blackout”, he clarified.
Regarding the estimated billing system, the spokesperson explained that the October bill will reflect the changes due to the blackout. “Customers will only pay for the energy consumed during the periods when power was available”, he assured.
Sani urged customers to direct their complaints to KEDCO, noting that their “doors are open” for resolution.
While also acknowledging NERC’s regulatory role, he encouraged customers to exhaust internal channels before seeking external intervention, saying, “NERC is our regulator, approach us first”.
Meanwhile, experts have advised KEDCO to reconsider its approach and engage with customers.
Comrade Shuaibu Musa Kafin-gana, a Jigawa-based energy analyst suggested that “legal action against KEDCO on this matter must be considered by the affected residents.
Arewa PUNCH further recalls that Jigawa residents, like their counterparts across the 17 northern states, spent at least three weeks without electricity since the early October power outage due to the collapse of the national grid and banditry activities that sabotaged electricity supply in more parts of the region.
This prolonged blackout exacerbated existing challenges, such as limited access to healthcare, increased food spoilage, and disrupted economic activities.
Arewa PUNCH notes that the situation has further compounded by the scarcity of alternative energy sources, leaving many households reliant on expensive and hazardous generators.
Additionally, the blackout hindered socio-economic activities as the devastating impact of the prolonged power outage has left many residents struggling to recover, making KEDCO’s disconnection exercise even more insensitive and ill-timed.
