Blackout Triggers Protest In Kaduna Communities

CHANNELS TV

The Residents of Janruwa, Bagodo,  Kamazo and Kariji communities in Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State are protesting over two years of blackout and lack of  other social amenities. 

The communities, who took their protests to the roads in demand for the restoration of their light by the management of Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company, said they had suffered untold economic hardship as a result of lack of electricity supply for almost two years.

Some of the residents told Channels Television that they had been subjected to untold hardships since the communities were thrown into the long months of darkness.

They said the only 300KVA transformer that served all the four communities packed up in 2014, and since then, all effort to get it replaced by the Kaduna Electricity Distribution company proved abortive.

Consequently, the darkness has had its toll on small scale businesses such as welders, barbing salons and provision shops among others. Generators and Solar energy are their only main source of power supply for those who can afford them.

Also to charge their telephone handsets, the residents had to resort to patronising roadside telephone charges where they pay 100 Naira to charge their phones using generator.

The management of Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company said that the large community requires a 500KVA transformer for a start, which is not available and had to remove an inadequate 300KVA transformer it earlier installed which resulted in the protests.

The Company’s Head of Communication, Kaduna DISCO, Abdulaziz Abdullahi said the company was making arrangements to installing a new set of 500KVA transformer  in the area and described the protests as unnecessary.

Apart from the electricity issue, the road to the communities are in bad shape.

The residents are appealing to the state government to come to their rescue pending when the distribution company fulfils its promise.

The residents said they were tired of the long blackout after passing through several difficulties.

Their fear is that the distribution company has not showed enough commitment to restoring power to the affected communities after several appeals.