Why northern Nigeria dey experience power outage and wen dem go restore di light

E don pass one week since electricity supply for northern Nigeria fail, wey leave many pipo for a total blackout for di states wey e affect.

Kano na one of di states wey dis kasala hit well, as pipo dey struggle becos dem need light for dia everiday life activities.

Na on October 22, pipo for 17 states for northern Nigeria wake up to see say dem no get light.

Northern governors don express concern over di blackout for di region as dem ask di Federal Government and related authorities to speed up di restoration of power.

Di Northern Governors Forum tok on Monday after one meeting with traditional rulers and oda stakeholders in Kaduna.

Di governors tok inside one communique dem issue after di meeting say:

“Dis matter not only underscore di vulnerability of critical infrastructure but also di need to build additional transmission lines and diversify our energy supply to better connect our region and improve our energy resilience.”

For dis report, we torchlight how di mata start, wetin dey happun now and when light go come back.

Wetin cause di blackout?

Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) tok say one problem happun for one of dia 330kV Ugwaji-Apir transmission lines wey connect Shiroro to Kaduna.

Dis line na im dey supply electricity for states like Kano, Katsina, Jigawa, Kaduna, Bauchi, Gombe, and oda parts for North-East and North-Central Nigeria.

Some reports say na bandits spoil di big pole wey dey carry light reach northern Nigeria.

How many states dey affected?

At least 17 northern states dey for dis wahala.

Some states dey get small small light for about one hour or more becos TCN connect dem to anoda line for small relief.

But apart from Niger and Kwara, 17 states for North almost no get light for nearly two weeks.

Di worst hit states na Kaduna, Kano, Jigawa, Gombe, and Katsina, plus odas like Sokoto, Zamfara, Jigawa, Bauchi, Yobe, Borno, Adamawa, Taraba, Niger, Plateau, Nasarawa, Kogi, and Benue.

Wetin be di impact of dis blackout?

Di lack of steady power for di states don dey impact hospitals, businesses, and pipo for di areas dey complain say dis problem dey affect dia daily life.

Also, e don dey make residents suffer well well, as dem dey find oda ways to charge dia phones, laptops, and oda devices

For Kano, especially for pipo wey no get much money, even to find drinking water don dey hard.

Idris, one resident for Tudun Murtala area, tell BBC Pidgin say, "for our area, we dey buy 25 liters of water now for N200 instead of N50.”

“Di price of 25 liters jump from N50 go N200, wey mean say one wheelbarrow of water dey cost us N2400.”

Traders wey dey Kano big fish and chicken market don complain say dem don dey lose plenty money sake of say dem no get electricity for over one week.

Thousands of frozen chicken and fish don spoil and marketers don throw dem away sake of di blackout.

Di market secretary, Khalid Sale, tell BBC Pidgin say di blackout don cause serious setback for dia business, as dem don lose plenty money sake of no light for some areas for northern Nigeria.

"We don lose more dan 500 million Naira inside one week of di blackout.

Every week, we dey spend 525,000 Naira dey buy diesel to keep our fish and chicken cold make dem no spoil."

E tok say on Sunday, dem even throw away plenty fish and chickens becos e don spoil.

Dan Auta wey be anoda trader for di market tok say dem dey gada money togeda so dia business fit survive.

“We bin dey join join money togeda buy diesel so we fit keep our chicken and fish frozen, even wit dis, we no fit count profit" Dan Auta tok.

Wetin dey happun now?

TCN say dem don begin work on di faulty Ugwuaji – Apir 330kV Double Circuit transmission line after dem discover where di fault dey come from on Wednesday evening.

According to dem, dem discover di fault around 5:00pm for di Igumale area of Benue State.

TCN say dem see say di “fault area of di transmission line, wey measure about one span, na one 330kV transmission line wey snap located for di swampy forest of Igumale.”

“After we make di discovery in di evening of today, arrangements already don dey on to mobilise equipment and materials wey go dey moved to di site of di incident to enable TCN to commence repair works,” dem tok late on Wednesday.

When light go come back?

E never dey clear but di Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, on Monday, say electricity go dey restored to di 17 northern states wey don experience outages due to di vandalism of di Shiroro-Kaduna transmission line.

Adelabu tell State House correspondents after one meeting with President Bola Tinubu for Abuja.

“President Tinubu don direct di National Security Adviser, di Chief of Defence Staff, di Chief of Army Staff, and di Chief of Air Staff to ensure di necessary security for those wey get di responsibility of fixing di damaged line.

“With adequate security in place, di Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) staff and contractors fit work confidently in di field,” di minister tok.

One TCN PRO Ali Bukar tell BBC Hausa say dem go need security for di area wia di transmission line dey before repair fit start.

“We need security for di area wia di transmission line spoil.

“TCN workers dey try solve di problem, and some dey repair di Benue-Jos line, wey fit bring small light come some northern states.”

But even if dem repair dis line, e no go fit meet all di power needs until dem repair di Shiroro line, as na di main line wey supply light for di North.

Di Benue-Jos line fit only supply about one-quarter of di electricity wey northern states need.