Nigerians Outraged Over AEDC’s 14-Day Power Outage in Abuja, Nasarawa

Residents and business owners across Abuja and parts of Nasarawa are expressing their outrage over a two-week power outage, which began on January 6, 2025. The blackout, announced by the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) and the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), has plunged major areas into darkness, causing significant disruptions and financial losses.

AEDC and TCN attributed the outage to the relocation of the 33KV DC Airport Feeder and 132KV Kukwaba-Apo Transmission Line Towers along the Outer Southern Motorway. While TCN confirmed the power rationing, many affected areas, including Kubwa, Nyanya, Karu, and parts of Jahi, Gudu, and Gbazango, have been left without power entirely.

Anger and Economic Impact: The blackout has sparked anger among consumers, with traders and residents facing substantial losses. Mabel Michael, a Kubwa resident, expressed frustration, calling AEDC’s actions irresponsible and highlighting the impact on businesses with perishable goods. Benjamin Eze, a trader in UTC, criticized the outage, pointing out the additional costs of relying on generators due to the lack of electricity.

Kunle Olubiyo, President of the Nigerian Consumer Protection Network, called the outage “shameful,” emphasizing that the relocation of substations should have been done with proper planning, such as using stringing to minimize disruptions. He argued that the failure to ensure continuous service during such relocations was indicative of poor infrastructure planning.

AEDC’s Efforts and Plans: In response to the criticism, AEDC’s acting Managing Director, Chijioke Okwuokenye, assured the public that the company was implementing measures to mitigate the impact of the outage. He explained that load-shedding arrangements were in place, and affected areas would not remain in complete darkness for the entire duration of the outage. However, Okwuokenye admitted that the power supply in some areas, such as Kubwa, had been diverted to critical zones, and outages might continue intermittently.

Despite these efforts, AEDC acknowledged the substantial revenue loss it was facing due to reduced energy consumption and customer difficulties in purchasing power.

Government Involvement and Compensation: Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, revealed that the government was in talks with AEDC and TCN to address the issue. Adebayo’s spokesperson, Bolaji Tunji, confirmed that the prolonged outage would result in significant financial losses for AEDC and said the Ministry was working on finding a solution. Additionally, AEDC plans to compensate affected customers, particularly those in Band A, with regulatory approval from the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC).

As the situation unfolds, Nigerians remain frustrated by the power crisis, with many questioning the adequacy of planning and communication from the electricity operators.