Senators from the northern part of the country have called for swift action to restore electricity to Kano, Katsina, and Jigawa states, where residents have been grappling with severe power outages.
The senators, who spoke under the auspices of Northern Senators Forum, said prompt intervention was necessary to alleviate the hardship faced by their constituents in the regions.
The prolonged outages, primarily attributed to vandalism and national grid disturbances, have caused significant economic strain to the people.
Speaking on Friday in Katsina, the Chairman of the forum, Abdulaziz Yar’adua, described the power outage as critical, saying it has brought economic hardship, compromised healthcare delivery, and imposed expensive fuel costs on citizens.
Yar’adua said, “Small businesses are struggling to operate, hospitals are facing increased running costs, and livelihoods are being severely impacted”.
The senators outlined specific requests for government intervention to stabilise and improve power supply in the affected states.
The requests include the need to expedite repairs on the Shiroro-Kaduna transmission lines to restore a reliable supply, and the implementation of security measures to prevent further vandalism of power infrastructure.
Also, the senators stated the need for sustainable energy solutions, urging support for renewable energy and mini-grid initiatives proposed by the Kano Electricity Distribution Company.
