Insurgents destroy Maiduguri electricity tower, causes blackout

A lingering blackout has hit residents of Maiduguri and its environs.

This was after one of the towers supplying electricity to the city from the national grid was destroyed by insurgents.

According to a report by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the blackout has lasted for a week, grounding many businesses that are relying on power for their operation.

Some residents of the city did not only condemned the action of the insurgents but lamented the continued inability of the authorities concern to restore the power.

“It’s now one week and most people don’t know why there is no electricity in Maiduguri.

“We need to know what caused it and efforts by the power company to address the matter.

“You can’t leave people in darkness without explanation," a resident, Ibrahim Abubakar, said in an interview with NAN.

Another resident of the city, Moses Bala stated that the development has grounded his business because he solely depends on electricity from the national grid for his work.

“Because of steady supply over the months, I solely depend on power from government and now that there is no power for one week; I remain out of business.

“I can’t afford a generator as I am still young in this business," Bala said.

The Corporate Communication Manager of Yola Electricity Distribution Company (YEDC) in charge of Borno, Yobe, Adamawa and Taraba states, Mr Kingsley Nkemneme said he could not comment on the issue the city is dealing with because the problem has to do with Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN).

Nkemneme said, “The TCN is in a better position to comment on this as the problem is not about distribution but transmission."