By Firdaus Jibril
Residents of Girei Local Government Area of Adamawa State on Wednesday staged a protest over a prolonged power outage that has left the community without electricity for more than two months.
The protesters, under the umbrella of the Movement for the Transformation of Nigeria (MOTN), marched to the headquarters of the Yola Electricity Distribution Company (YEDC) in Yola, demanding the immediate restoration of electricity and accountability from the distribution company.
Carrying placards with inscriptions such as “We deserve reliable electricity,” “Electricity is a right, not a privilege,” and “Accountability now! YEDC do your job,” the demonstrators accused the company of failing to fulfil repeated promises to restore power.
Addressing journalists during the protest, the Adamawa State Coordinator of the Movement for the Transformation of Nigeria, Andrew Musa, said residents had endured weeks of hardship despite several meetings with YEDC and other stakeholders.
According to him, all efforts to resolve the issue through dialogue, including interventions by security agencies and other stakeholders, have failed to produce results.
He said the prolonged blackout has disrupted economic activities, healthcare delivery and education in the area, forcing many businesses to rely on expensive alternative sources of power or suspend operations entirely.
Some residents also complained that the cost of doing business had increased significantly, saying they were unable to raise prices because many customers could no longer afford their services.
The protesters vowed to continue their demonstrations until electricity is restored to the affected communities.
As of the time of the protest, YEDC had not issued an official statement on the matter. However, the company’s communications officer reportedly told Arise News that he was out of town at the time and was therefore unable to comment on the issues raised.
The protest adds to growing concerns over electricity supply challenges in parts of Adamawa State, with residents calling on the relevant authorities to ensure a lasting solution to the prolonged outage.