By Correspondent in Minna
Residents of Dutsen Kura-Gwari village in Chanchaga Local Government Area of Niger state have decried over ten months blackout and appealed to the state government to prevail on the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) to restore supply to their community.
The Reporters investigation revealed that the problem of the community started when the transformer started to break down often due overloading as as a result of increase in houses in the area.
After several months of reporting and waiting to the AEDC to replace the old transformer that had served the community for many years without positive response, residents of the area said they decided to appeal to the state government to solve the problem.
One of the customers, Evelyn Sule, recalled, “The entire Dutsen Kura-Gwari has been in darkness getting to eleven months now. First, it was the damaged transformer that can no longer be repaired because it was always overloaded as more people move into the area.
“When it was getting to 10 months, they brought a new transformer and people started celebrating the day they saw it being transported to the spot where it was to be mounted, but as I am talking to you now, nothing has been done.”
Sule, a beautician cum fashion designer, lamented that, “After the initial excuses, now it is getting to about a month since they brought in the new transformer and up till now it has not been installed. The last time we asked, they were telling us that they didn’t have armoured cable, always giving one excuse after another”.
Malam Ahmed Adamu, another resident who said that his source of survival was being threatened by the continued blackout caused y the inability of the AEDC to restore supply to Dutsen Kura-Gwari, a distanct of not more than 10 minutes drive to the Government House, Minna.
“My job and source of livelihood is suffering because of this light issue. I cannot continue in his business of dry cleaning. I do to fend for my family of six because the landlord has given me quit notice because of my inability to pay shop rent.
“The transformer spoilt at about this time last year and up till now we are still in darkness, ” he lamented.
Some of the residents told our correspondent that the had paralyzed social and commercial activities in the see.
The customers in the area in separate interview with The Reporters appealed to the Governor to quickly intervene by compelling AEDC to install the transformer without further delay.
“It is unfortunate that AEDC cannot meet electric supply needs of a community within Minna metropolis for over 10 months in perpetual darkness. It is as if we have been forgotten, neighbouring communities enjoy regular power supply, but here we are in perpetual darkness, one of the residents,who did not want his identity revealed said.
He said, “We reported the problem to the relevant authorities but nothing has been done, the outage has affected our businesses, such that I spend lots of money buying petrol to fuel the power generating set. We no longer meet expected target and our cost of production is getting higher every day. We are operating at loss.”
