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Residents and business owners in Kubwa, a satellite town in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), have expressed frustration over a power outage that has lasted more than one week, leaving many counting heavy financial losses.
The affected business operators said the prolonged blackout had resulted in millions of naira in losses, damaged goods and missed business opportunities.
Speaking with journalists in Abuja on Sunday, the residents lamented that the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) had not officially explained the cause of the outage or provided prior notice to enable them to make alternative arrangements.
A food vendor, Mrs Eniola Aderenle, said she had lost a substantial quantity of food items purchased in bulk for her business after they went bad in her refrigerator.
“I have lost a lot of money. This is very frustrating and annoying. It is even more painful that no reason has been given for the outage,” she said.
Similarly, a frozen-food dealer, Mr Kunle Babalola, said his entire stock had been damaged, leaving him worried about repaying the loan he obtained to finance his business.
“I am so sad; I have lost so much money. The bank I took a loan from to stock my shop is after me. What am I supposed to do?” he asked.
A barber, Tunde Aremu, said he had been relying on a generator to keep his business running, despite the high cost of fuel.
He explained that he had little choice but to incur the additional expense to support his family and meet other household obligations.
Aremu said advance notice of the outage would have helped residents and business owners prepare for the disruption.
A housewife and mother of five, Mrs Becky Umukoro, also lamented that food stored in her refrigerator had spoiled, describing the situation as frustrating and disappointing.
She questioned why Nigeria, despite its abundant mineral resources, continued to struggle with reliable electricity supply.
Another resident, Isabella Osahon, described the situation as unacceptable, noting that electricity remained essential to economic growth and the smooth running of businesses and households.
She also questioned the feasibility of Nigeria's electric vehicle ambitions amid persistent power supply challenges, particularly regarding the charging of vehicle batteries.
Osahon urged the Federal Government to take urgent measures to address the country's electricity challenges.
Other residents, including Robert Are, Dupe Ogbede and Elizabeth Okoro, appealed to the relevant authorities to restore electricity without further delay.
Efforts by journalists to obtain an official response from AEDC through calls and text messages to its customer care line were unsuccessful.
However, an official of the company attributed the outage to a technical fault on the 330-kilovolt Shiroro-Katampe transmission line operated by the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN).
The official assured residents that efforts were underway to resolve the problem.
The prolonged outage has renewed concerns over the impact of unreliable electricity on small businesses, household finances and economic activities, particularly where operators depend on refrigeration and electricity-powered equipment to sustain their livelihoods.
