By Austine Emmanuel, Kaduna
For seven consecutive days, a prolonged power outage has left thousands of Kaduna residents and businesses in darkness, causing widespread frustration and significant economic hardship.The blackout, which began after a heavy downpour and windstorm last week, has severely impacted communities including Barnawa, Rigasa, Narayi, and Sabo.
Residents, traders, and artisans are grappling with the consequences. Phone charging stations are overwhelmed, forcing people to endure long queues to power their devices. Cold-room operators and food sellers have reported substantial losses from spoiled perishable goods, while small businesses like welders, barbers, and tailors are struggling with the unsustainable cost of running on generators.
The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) confirmed that the outage was a result of the collapse of Tower No. 7 on the Kaduna Town Line I & II in Rigasa. TCN also revealed that the tower had been weakened by vandals who had removed structural parts prior to the storm.
Although the Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company (KAEDCO) has attempted to reroute power through other feeders, most areas remain without electricity. Engineers are currently working on dismantling the damaged structure for reconstruction, but no timeline has been provided for full restoration.
A civil rights activist and resident, Comrade Abdulsalam Mohammed Kazeem, criticized power sector authorities for what he called “incompetence and insincerity.
“In an exclusive interview with NewsDirect, he accused them of being reactive rather than proactive, stating that the prolonged outage highlights the deeper systemic issues within Nigeria’s power sector.
He noted that nearly 50% of Nigerians have resorted to expensive solar energy, describing it as a form of capital flight since the equipment is largely imported.Comrade Kazeem said that citizens are not against paying for electricity but are fed up with the persistent failures of distribution and transmission companies.
He described the entire power sector as being “riddled with fraud and failure,” a situation he believes has consistently hindered the nation’s progress. “If they were serious, this problem would have been resolved in less than 72 hours. This is not happening in the forest; it happened in the town,” he added.
The extended blackout threatens to worsen Kaduna’s fragile economic climate, deterring potential investors and pushing households deeper into financial distress. Residents are urging the Federal and State Governments to fast-track the reconstruction of the collapsed tower, assist vulnerable communities, and better secure critical infrastructure against vandalism.
As the days turn into a week, Kaduna residents continue to count their losses, anxiously awaiting the return of light.